Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5546, the Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act. As a defense attorney, I cannot overemphasize the importance of protecting attorney-client privilege. The ability to have confidential discussions with a client for the purpose of providing legal advice is foundational to providing effective assistance of counsel. This bill will help modernize our criminal justice system by extending attorney-client privilege to electronic communications sent or received through the Bureau of Prisons' email system. This will allow incarcerated individuals to communicate with their attorneys efficiently and privately. And it would prohibit the Bureau of Prisons from monitoring privileged email communications. We all agree that attorney-client privilege is a vital component of our legal system, as it helps to ensure that a criminal defendant has an effective advocate in the courtroom. Emails between incarcerated individuals and their attorneys should absolutely fall under attorney-client protections. This bill would protect the rights of incarcerated men and women to speak openly and honestly with their attorneys via email without fear that the prosecution is monitoring those communications. Other methods of communication, such as in-person meetings and letters, can be particularly burdensome and time consuming.…”