In an effort to mitigate partisan politics in the civil or criminal cases of current or former presidents and vice presidents, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) wants to let them move their own cases from a state court to a federal court.
“Presidents and vice presidents have a right to a fair trial free from political interference, and they should never be targeted by partisan state prosecutors and judges looking to score political points,” Sen. Tillis said.
The senator on June 18 sponsored the No More Political Prosecutions Act, S. 4593, alongside five GOP original cosponsors, to amend the existing statute, which allows members of Congress and federal judges the option to move a civil or criminal case from state to federal court. The law also extends to legislative officers, court personnel, cabinet secretaries and their staff, and federal agency workers, according to a bill summary provided by his staff.
Federal judges are confirmed by the U.S. Senate and have lifetime appointments, helping to preserve their independence from the political process, the summary says, while state court judges may be more likely to be subjected to political influences because they are often elected or directly appointed and serve shorter terms.
S. 4593 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I’m proud to join Senator Tillis’s effort to make sure that partisan lawfare does not prevail in American politics,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), one of the cosponsors of the bill.