Cornyn Statement on Establishment of Presidential Criminal Justice Commission

I released the following statement after U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced the creation of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. I am a lead Republican cosponsor of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act.

An objective review system is necessary to reform our outdated criminal justice system and strengthen law enforcement’s ties to our communities. I’m grateful to the Administration for taking this important step, and I look forward to working with them to build upon their efforts to reform our justice system and increase public safety.

I have long been a proponent of criminal justice reform. My National Criminal Justice Commission Act would strengthen President Trump’s Commission by giving it additional authority and resources to review the criminal justice system and propose reforms to address the most pressing issues. I was a sponsor of the First STEP Act, which was signed into law in 2018, and a summary of my provisions included in that law can be found here.