Sherrill Applauds Renewed Measure to Stop “Judge Shopping”
Congresswoman Renews Call for Congress to Pass Her End Judge Shopping Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill released the following statement after the Judicial Conference of the United States adopted a new policy to stop the practice of “judge shopping.” Judge shopping is a known tactic anti-choice advocates use to hand-pick a court and outcome by filing lawsuits in single-judge divisions where they are all but assured to get a favorable ruling. Last year, Rep. Sherrill introduced the End Judge Shopping Act of 2023, legislation that would end this harmful practice.
“Anti-abortion extremists for years have used tactics like ‘judge shopping’ to cherry pick a friendly court and an outcome that restricts women’s reproductive freedom. We saw the wide-reaching damage judge shopping can cause last year when a single judge ordered a nationwide ban of Mifepristone. This new policy to further clamp down on this abuse of our judicial system is welcome and overdue news. Congress can go one step further by passing my legislation that would end this dangerous tactic once and for all,” said Rep. Sherrill.
In the wake of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA decision in Texas in April of 2023, Rep. Sherrill introduced the End Judge Shopping Act of 2023. This legislation would prevent civil suits seeking rulings that would impact Americans nationwide from being heard by single-judge divisions of U.S. District Courts. After introducing the bill, Sherrill gathered leaders from Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Agile Therapeutics for a panel discussion on the threat to abortion access in New Jersey. Watch a recording of the panel here.
Additionally, Sherrill is working to restore public trust in the federal judiciary. She has repeatedly called on Chief Justice John Roberts to establish an ethics counsel and independent investigative body within the Supreme Court, especially following reports that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted luxury vacations and gifts from GOP billionaire and mega-donor Harlan Crow.
Congresswoman Sherrill prosecuted federal cases and advised law enforcement on investigations as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of New Jersey. She also served as an Outreach and Re-Entry Coordinator who created programs to develop trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
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