Dale Bumpers: “recently I introduced S. 2030, the Grand Jury Due Process Act, to provide witnesses who are subpoenaed by federal grand…”

“recently I introduced S. 2030, the Grand Jury Due Process Act, to provide witnesses who are subpoenaed by federal grand juries with a right to the presence of counsel in the grand jury room. I am today introducing more comprehensive grand jury reform legislation which will remedy several major flaws in the grand jury system which today undermine the fairness of America's judicial system. Criminal justice must provide for more than swift and sure punishment. It must ensure fairness and due process to the accused as well as to witnesses and victims of crime. In the majority of cases, our courts provide a greater measure of justice than any other system known to man. Yet our system remains far from perfect. Of all aspects of America's criminal justice system, the grand jury has become the weakest link in ensuring due process of law. It is telling that most States have discarded grand juries entirely. Yet, the Federal Government is constrained by the fifth amendment constitutional requirement for grand juries, so we have to find ways to make the grand jury system work better. The legislation I am introducing makes five critical grand jury reforms: First, it directs the district courts to give basic legal instructions to the grand jurors at the time they begin their work.”