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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.


Top Posts:

Inherent Contempt Fines Rule

The Problem: Rising Executive Branch Intransigence and Declining Congressional Oversight Effectiveness The refusal of executive branch officials to comply with ...
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GGN Inherent Contempt Fines Proposal Gaining Traction in House Leadership Discussions: Rep. Schiff Third Committee Chair To Consider

Recent news reports from NBC News, Reuters, Axios, HuffPost, The Hill, and other media outlets confirm that the modified inherent ...
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Can Congress Enforce their Subpoenas?

Federalist Society Article I Project Executive Director Nate Kaczmarek interviews Good Government Now President Dr. William J. Murphy about GGN's ...
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Recent Posts:

Schiff Considering Fines for Contempt of Congress Featured in GGN’s Modified Inherent Contempt Proposal

According to an article from The Hill, Rep. Adam Schiff is considering fining executive branch officials who refuse to comply ...
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The Inspector General Shortage: GGN Senior Fellow Jason Foster in the Wall Street Journal

The Inspector General Shortage Appointing more of them would instill much-needed public confidence in institutions. By Jason FosterThe Wall Street ...
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Dr. Bill Murphy on The Steve Gruber Show – April 25, 2019

Good Government Now President, Dr. Bill Murphy, discussed GGN's proposal for Inherent Contempt Enforcement Rule on The Steve Gruber Show ...
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Bloomberg News: House Democrats Considering GGN’s Proposal to Fine Officials Who Defy Subpoenas

A recent Bloomberg article reports that House Democratic leaders are considering Good Government Now’s (GGN) inherent contempt enforcement proposal which ...
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Watch Dr. Bill Murphy’s Interview with America’s Voice News – March 1, 2019

Good Government Now President Dr. Bill Murphy discusses GGN's proposed modified inherent contempt enforcement rule with Kyle Olson of America's ...
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Video: “Can a Revised Inherent Contempt Procedure Strengthen Enforcement of House Subpoenas to the Executive Branch?” Panel Discussion, 10/19/18

"Can a Revised Inherent Contempt Procedure Strengthen Enforcement of House Subpoenas to the Executive Branch?”  Panel Discussion sponsored by Good Government ...
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