Tyre Nichols case renews calls for criminal justice reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Tyre Nichols case is renewing the national conversation about policing policies.

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Criminal justice reform advocates are pushing Congress to pass national police accountability measures. However, those reforms are likely facing stiff opposition with a Republican majority currently in control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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A national police reform bill stalled under a Democrat-led House and Senate two years ago.

An attorney for Nichols’ family told CNN his case should lead to quick legislative action.

“Shame on us if we don’t use his tragic death to finally get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed,” Nichols family attorney Benjamin Crump said.

That bill would have banned no-knock warrants and chokeholds.

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It would have also created a national database to help track police misconduct, but it stalled in 2021 due to Republican opposition.

At the time, the GOP said the bill was overreaching.

Over this weekend, Republican Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan told ABC news that he didn’t think any bill could have stopped what he called the evil that we saw in the Tyre Nichols case.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hasn’t responded to questions about his stance on police reform or whether he’s open to negotiations with Democrats about it.

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Meanwhile, Senate Democrats- including New Jersey Senator Cory Booker- have pledged to renew legislative efforts about police reforms in the coming days.

The Congressional Black Caucus has also requested a meeting with President Joe Biden this week to push for negotiations about national police reforms.

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