Judiciary

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after speaking with U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta: “Hampton Roads is still shocked by recent events of police-involved violence in our community. That is why I had a conversation yesterday with Associate Attorney General Gupta regarding the investigation of the shooting of Donovon Lynch in Virginia Beach and the disturbing traffic stop of Army Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario. Associate Attorney General Gupta told me that officials at the Department of Justice (DOJ) are monitoring the Commonwealth’s actions and that they are aware of the publicly available discrepancies in the accounts of these events.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement: “While nothing will bring George Floyd back to his family and loved ones, the verdict was just. Derek Chauvin was afforded the due process that George Floyd was denied and found guilty by a jury of his peers. This verdict is a start, but it does not absolve Congress and the federal government of our responsibility to reform policing across the country, and it is a reminder of the need for the Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for a federal investigation into the police conduct and treatment of Donovon Lynch and Army Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario. On Tuesday, April 13th, Congressman Scott personally spoke with Attorney General Garland and was assured that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) takes these matters seriously. DOJ usually does not publicly announce their intent to conduct an investigation. “The residents of Hampton Roads deserve transparency, accountability, and most of all, they deserve the truth about these incidents,” the Congressman wrote.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act. The bipartisan legislation would eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and retroactively apply it to those already convicted or sentenced. The sentencing disparity between crack and powdered cocaine, at one point as high as 100 to 1, helped fuel the mass incarceration epidemic. 81% of individuals convicted of crack cocaine offenses in 2019 were Black, while historically 66% of crack cocaine users have been white or Hispanic. In 2010, the Fair Sentencing Act reduced the sentencing disparity from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1, and in 2018 the FIRST STEP Act made that reduction retroactive.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1208, the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act: "Last summer, Americans across the country protested the murder of George Floyd by law enforcement. They marched to demand an end to police misconduct and more accountability in our criminal justice system. Today, the House responded by passing the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump: “Today’s bipartisan vote reaffirms the fundamental truth that the security of our democracy is our first priority. It is my hope that the Senate will convict and remove Donald Trump and we can all move forward from this dark chapter in our nation’s history. I look forward to working with the incoming Biden Administration to begin healing our country.