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The Problem: Congress has lost the authority to enforce subpoenas.

Inherent contempt enforcement has been the most effective of the three methods available to Congress for defending its institutional prerogatives against contumacious behavior and ensuring timely compliance with its information demands.  Congress employed it highly successfully and almost exclusively until 1935, even after enactment of the criminal contempt statute in 1857.  

Congress stopped employing inherent contempt after 1935 for three reasons: (a) the associated trials at the bar of either house consumed too much floor time, (b) the habeas corpus suits that invariably accompanied the arrests and detentions of alleged contemnors further delayed the process excessively, and (c) the arrest and incarceration of witnesses was perceived unseemly. Read more.

Our Mission

Good Government Now was founded to strengthen congressional subpoena enforcement to re-establish an appropriate constitutional balance between the legislative and executive branches.


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Inherent Contempt Fines Rule

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Recent Posts:

Favorable McGahn Decision Won’t Remedy Congressional Subpoena Enforcement Failures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, August 11, 2020 8:00amMedia Contact: Bill Murphy • wmurphy@goodgovernmentnow.org (610) 529-6494 (m) *Reliance on civil litigation fails ...

Congress Should Subpoena Redfield; Enforce with Inherent Contempt Fines and Criminal Prosecution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday, July 23, 2020 10:00am Quotes from GGN President Bill Murphy: Murphy: “Congress should compel CDC Director Redfield ...

GGN Praises House Inherent Contempt Fines Resolution

Washington, DC – Advocacy group Good Government Now (GGN) praised the introduction today of a resolution proposing to establish an ...

Senate Judiciary FISA Subpoenas Likely Toothless without Enforcement Reforms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEThursday, June 11, 2020 3:00pmMedia Contact: Bill Murphy • wmurphy@goodgovernmentnow.org • (610) 529-6494 (m) • Congress Has Failed ...

PRESS RELEASE — Senate FISA Subpoenas Likely Toothless without Enforcement Reforms

• Congress Has Failed to Enforce Subpoenas Contested by Executive Branch Officials• A Credible Threat of Punishment for Non-Compliance is the ...

McGahn Case Oral Arguments Fail to Consider Inherent Contempt Fines and Congressional Prosecution Options, Alarmism over Executive Branch Arrests Unjustified

E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, Washington, DC FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Bill Murphy • wmurphy@goodgovernmentnow.org (610) 529-6494 (m) Washington, ...