Testimony before the D.C. Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety on B26-0655, the Protecting Judicial Privacy Act of 2026

Our testimony addresses our recommendations regarding B26-0655, the Protecting Judicial Privacy Act of 2026, which aims to address the commendable goal of improving the safety and privacy of actively employed and retired judges in the District. However, the bill does not include any exemptions for constitutionally protected speech, which raises concerns that some sources of information that could be used to reveal potential transparency or ethical conflicts could be obscured.

Our Position:

ACLU-D.C. commends Council for taking this important step toward protecting the safety and privacy of judicial officers and their loved ones from bad actors. However, the legislation must not inhibit or prevent constitutionally protected speech, especially when that speech is on a matter of public concern, and may reveal important and relevant information on matters of judicial transparency and ethics.