Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Joins Other Lawmakers in Calling for Due Process
SAVE
April 14, 2021
During an April 7 debate at Virginia State University, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax made a strongly worded plea for the restoration of due process and the presumption of innocence. Fairfax joins a growing number of lawmakers, newspaper editorial boards, and others who have recently called for due process in American society.
During the debate, Fairfax stated, “In Virginia and in our nation, African-Americans, and particularly African-American men, are presumed to be guilty, are treated inhumanely, are given no due process, and have their lives impacted — and in some cases taken away.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVAsQwTyWws
Fairfax highlighted a false allegation that was leveled against him in 2019, for which some persons “immediately assumed my guilt.” Fairfax concluded, “I have a son and daughter. I don’t want my daughter to be assaulted, I don’t want my son to be falsely accused. But this is the real world that we live in.”
Fairfax joins with leaders from both political parties and two newspaper editorial boards who have recently called for the restoration of due process.
On March 23, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina sent a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Education to maintain the recently enacted Title IX rule to “ensure victims receive the protections they deserve and every student’s rights, including due process rights, are protected.” https://republicans-edlabor.house.gov/uploadedfiles/burr_and_foxx_to_cardona_title_ix_3.23.21.pdf
Two days later, former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg penned an editorial highlighting how the Obama-era campus policy had shortchanged defendants by failing to “uphold due process.” Bloomberg also noted that “Alleged victims said that schools failed to investigate their claims professionally.” https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-03-25/title-ix-biden-should-bring-better-justice-to-u-s-universities
On March 22, the Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times criticized the Obama-era policy, which “ignored common traditions of due process for the accused,” causing colleges to swing too hard in favoring accusers. https://news.yahoo.com/editorial-betsy-devoss-campus-sex-100019802.html
Then on March 28, the Washington Post Editorial Board weighed in. The editorial highlighted the due process deficiencies with the Dear Colleague Letter, which gave rise to numerous “successful court challenges.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/biden-has-a-chance-to-restore-balance-to-the-rules-on-campus-sexual-assault/2021/03/28/cc4416fc-8767-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html
A public opinion poll by the Center for Prosecutor Integrity revealed many American are questioning the fidelity of our legal system to basic due process principles: http://www.prosecutorintegrity.org/survey-summary/
- Three-quarters of respondents — 74.8% — worry our legal system often does not respect “equal treatment under the law”
- Two-thirds of persons — 66.8% — think the presumption of innocence is becoming lost in our nation’s legal system
SAVE invites lawmakers, newspaper editorial boards, and others to issue statements supportive of due process and the presumption of innocence.