Campaign Promises

Departments -> Justice


ItemJustice
AbortionGrade
JU-1The Promise: "The first thing I'll do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act."
When/Where: Obama Statement on 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Decision, Chicago, IL, 01/22/08
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf0XIRZSTt8
Status:The 110th Congress Freedom of Choice Act (H.R. 1964/S. 1173) was aimed to provide women with the right to choose to bear a child, terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy at any time to protect their own lives. This bill got nowhere, nor was it reintroduced during the Obama Presidency. On 04/29/09, President Obama stated in a press conference that the Freedom of Choice Act was not his "highest legislative priority."

This promise was not fulfilled.
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Anti-Trust LawGrade
JU-2The Promise: "Strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "To Lower Health Care Costs and Ensure Affordable, Accessible Health Care for All," dated 10/03/08.
Source: http://courses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i202/f08/lectures/Obama_Healthcare-1.pdf
Status:On 09/17/09, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the "Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009" (S. 1681). No action was taken on this bill prior to the 111th Congress' expiration at the end of CY2010.

Also on 09/17/09, Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) introduced a House version of the "Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009" (H.R. 3596). This bill was intended to provide that medical malpractice insurance issuers would be subject to antitrust laws. Since no action was taken on this bill by the 111th Congress prior to its expiration, it was reintroduced by Congressman Conyers to the 112th Congress as H.R. 5838 on 05/18/12. This bill expired with the 112th Congress at the end of CY2012. It was reintroduced yet again by Congreeman Conyers on 01/03/13 as H.R. 99 and died again with the 113th Congress. In a final attempt during the Obama Presidency, Congressman Conyers reintroduced the "Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act" on 01/06/15 (H.R. 99). It died with the 114th Congress.

Meanwhile the Secretary of Health and Human Services administered a $23M portfolio under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (H.R. 3590) for states to experiment with alternatives to medical malpractice lawsuits. The objective of this exercise was to minimize what was considered over-litigation that ultimately drove the high prices for malpractice insurance -- costs usually passed on to the health care recipient.

As of end-CY2016, this promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-3The Promise: "...will reinvigorate antitrust enforcement, which is how we ensure that capitalism works for consumers."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Connecting and Empowering All Americans Through Technology and Innovation" dated 11/13/07.
Source: https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2009/04/obamatechplan.pdf
Status:Antitrust enforcement is a joint responsibility of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The authoritative Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Annual Report was used at the macro level to assess whether the antitrust enforcement efforts of the DOJ and FTC were "reinvigorated" during the first seven years of the Obama Administration (numbers for FY2016 not available) when compared to the same period during the preceding Bush-43 Administration.

Number of Antitrust Enforcement Transactions Initiated/Number Pursued (Additional Information and/or Documentary Material Requested - "Second Requests)"/Percentage of Total Investigated:
Bush 1st Year (FY2001) - 2,376 / 70 / 3.0%
Obama 1st Tear (FY2009) - 716 / 31 / 4.4%
Bush 2nd Year (FY2002) - 1,187 /49 / 4.2%
Obama 2nd Year (FY2010) - 1,166 /46 /4.0%
Bush 3rd Year (FY2003) - 1,014 / 35 / 3.5%
Obama 3rd Year (FY2011) - 1,450 / 55/ 3.8%
Bush 4th Year (FY2004) - 1,428 / 35 / 2.5%
Obama 4th Year (FY2012) - 1,429 / 49 / 3.4%
Bush 5th Year (FY2005) - 1,675 / 50 / 3.0%
Obama 5th Year (FY2013) - 1,326 / 47 / 3.6%
Bush 6th Year (FY2006) - 1,768/ 45 / 2.6%
Obama 6th Year (FY2014) - 1,663 / 51 / 3.1%
Bush 7th Year (FY2007) - 2,201 / 63 / 2.9%
Obama 7th Year (FY2015) - 1,801 /47 / 2.6%

Totals:
Under President Bush: 11,649 / 347 / 3.0%
Under President Obama: 9,551 / 326 / 3.4%

During the first seven years of the Obama Administration, the number of transactions processed as well as the number of "second requests" investigated by the DOJ and FTC (combined) were inferior to the first seven years of the Bush-43 Administration. The slight increase in percentage of antitrust investigations during the first seven years of the Obama Administration is unimpressive, given the lesser total number of transactions processed by DOJ/FTC during that period. Based on the above limited data, the envisioned antitrust enforcement re-invigoration did not occur during President Obama's Administration when compared to the Bush Administration.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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Civil RightsGrade
JU-4The Promise: "Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change" dated 10/09/08.
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:Obama signed the "Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act" on 01/29/09. This bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination resets with each new discriminatory paycheck.

This promise was fulfilled.
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JU-5The Promise: "Will sign into law the Equal Remedies Act of 2007 "to do away with the caps on compensatory and punitive damages under Title VII that presently impede the ability of victims of racial and gender discrimination to fully recover for the wrongs they have suffered."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/298/eliminate-caps-on-damages-for-discrimination-cases/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The "Equal Remedies Act of 2007" (S. 1928) was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on 08/01/07 but was not enacted.

Under Title VII, compensatory and punitive damages that a jury can award to a plaintiff for discrimination are capped as follows: companies with 15-100 employees: $50K; 101-200: $100K; 201-500: $200K; and 500 or more: $300K. The proposed bill (S. 1928) would have removed the limits on the dollar amount of awardable damages, in cases of intentional employment discrimination, for pecuniary and non-pecuniary losses and punitive damages.

This promise could potentially have been fulfilled under the Civil Rights Act of 2008 (H.R. 5129) (into which the Equal Remedies Act of 2007 was initially rolled) which was introduced by Representative John Lewis (D-GA) on 01/23/08 to restore, reaffirm and reconcile legal rights and remedies under civil rights statutes. This bill expired with the 110th Congress and was not reintroduced during subsequent sessions of Congress.

But the basic thrust of this promise was fulfilled under the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, signed into law by President Obama on 1/29/09. Section 3 of that act (Discrimination in compensation because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin) states that "an unlawful employment practice occurs...when a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice is adopted, when an individual becomes subject to a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, or when an individual is affected by application of a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice, including each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid, resulting in whole or in part from such a decision or other practice. No dollar caps were stipulated in this act.

This promise was fulfilled.
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JU-6The Promise: "...will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice."
When/Where: Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/ Obama and Biden's documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:Versions of the "End Racial Profiling Act" (ERPA) have been in the works for over a decade.

During President Obama's two terms in office, several bills were introduced to end racial profiling. Among those bills, none of which were passed by Congress and thus not enacted:
- End Racial Profiling Act of 2010 (H.R. 5748), 111th Congress
- End Racial Profiling Act of 2011 (S. 1670), 112th Congress
- Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 4398), 112th Congress
- End Racial Profiling Act of 2013 (S. 1038), 113th Congress
- End Racial Profiling Act of 2015 (H.R. 1933), 114th Congress
- End Racial Profiling Act of 2015 (S. 1056), 114th Congress
- Racial Profiling Prevention Act (H.R. 2381), 114th Congress

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-7The Promise: "...will encourage states to adopt a law...requiring videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital cases to ensure that prosecutions are fair."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: Source document was available online throughout the Obama Administration. It has since been deleted from all archival websites.
Status:As of CY2009, 10 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and over 500 U.S. jurisdictions had adopted the requirement through legislation/statute to videotape specified interrogations. As of end-2016, 21 states, DC, and about 1,000 jurisdictions had laws/rules in place to mandate the recording of specified interrogations/confessions.

There is no evidence that President Obama took any action during his two terms in office to encourage the remaining 29 states to follow suit by making the recording of interrogations/confessions a legal requirement at the state level.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-8The Promise: "...will also require the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights to provide him with a report for its plan to diversify the Division's workforce in his first 100 days, particularly in the Criminal Section."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/295/vigorously-pursue-hate-crimes-and-civil-rights-abu/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ) was founded in CY1957 to enforce anti-discrimination laws.

While reports from various sources, coupled with Congressional testimonies, indicate that the DOJ Civil Rights Division was active in diversifying its hiring and training practices during CY2009, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Thomas Perez, is not known to have presented a report to President Obama, within 100 days of his first inauguration in CY2009, on his plan to diversify the Civil Rights Division and particularly its Criminal Section.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-9The Promise: "...will ensure that the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division vigorously pursues cases involving hate crimes and civil rights abuses by local officials."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/295/vigorously-pursue-hate-crimes-and-civil-rights-abu/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed into law by President Obama on 10/28/09 as Division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 2647).

Given that the key words of this promise are "abuses by local officials," the above Act was the perfect vehicle through which President Obama could have addressed the responsibilities of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division Criminal Section. This did not occur...not even a mention.

As of end-CY2016, there was no evidence that President Obama specifically/personally weighed in to strengthen the Criminal Section's responsibilities regarding hate crimes and civil rights abuses at the local level.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-10The Promise: "...will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote."
When/Where: Plan for America: "Blueprint for Change," dated 10/09/08
Source: https://www.documentcloud.org/ Obama and Biden's documents/550007-barack-obama-2008-blueprint-for-change.html
Status:Then-Senator Obama introduced the "Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007" (S. 453) on 01/31/07. This bill never gained traction and died with the 110th Congress.

Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) introduced similar legislation on 01/06/09 (H.R. 97) and it also failed to gain traction in Congress. This bill expired with the 111th Congress at the end of CY2010.

On 12/14/11, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) introduced the "Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2011" (S. 1994). This was followed by Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) introducing the "Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2012" (H.R. 5815) on 05/17/12. Neither bill progressed beyond preliminary committee review and expired with the 112th Congress. Similar bills have not been introduced in subsequent sessions of Congress through end-CY2016

This promise was not fulfilled.
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CrimeGrade
JU-11The Promise: "...will crack down on mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud by increasing enforcement and creating new criminal penalties."
When/Where: Candidate Obama speech, Washington, D.C., 07/18/07, Topic: "Changing the Odds for Urban America."
Source: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=77007
Status:On 05/20/09, President Obama signed into law the "Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act." This new law changed the mortgage applications statute (18 U.S.C. Section 1014) to make it a crime to make a materially false statement or to willfully overvalue a property in order to influence any action by a mortgage lending business.

On 02/01/12, President Obama announced new standards to protect mortgage borrowers in their dealings with mortgage professionals.

This promise was fulfilled.
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JU-12The Promise: "Will fully fund the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to combat crime and help address police brutality and accountability issues in local communities."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Supporting Urban Prosperity" dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550008/barack-obama-2008-supporting-urban-prosperity.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provided an over-and-above infusion of $1B to state, local and tribal governments for the hiring or rehiring of additional career law enforcement officers. This was expected to fund an estimated 5,500 local police officers and brought the total appropriation for COPS in FY2009 to $1.55B.

The COPS program funding requirement for FY2010 was $798M. $792M was appropriated by Congress.

For FY2011, the appropriation for the COPS program went down to $307M. It is noteworthy that in CY2011, the House voted to eliminate the COPS program entirely.

In FY2012, COPS program funding was further decreased to the $198.5M level. With minor fluctuations, but still far below program requirements, here's how COPS program funding fared during the remainder of President terms in office:

FY2013....$289M Required....$198M Enacted
FY2014....$439M Required....$214M Enacted
FY2015....$274M Required....$208M Enacted
FY2016....$303M Required....$212M Enacted
FY2017....$286M Required....$221.5 Enacted

Except for a significant uptick in COPS funding for FY2009, at no time did annual appropriations meet program requirements during President Obama's two tours in office.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-13The Promise: "The (Bush) administration has consistently proposed to cut or eliminate funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program, which funds anti-drug and anti-gang task forces across the country...Since 2000, this program has been cut more than 83 percent...As president, Obama will restore funding."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Renewing U.S. Leadership in the Americas", dated 06/06/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/224/restore-funding-for-the-byrne-justice-assistance-g/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The Byrne/JAG Grant Program was created under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-351 as amended through P.L. 114-324, enacted 12/16/16). Administered by the DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), its purpose is to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system through flexible, multi-purpose formula grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes. The awards support a wide range of criminal justice and public safety initiatives, including (1) law enforcement, (2) courts, crime prosecution and indigent defense, (3) crime prevention and education, (4) corrections and community corrections, (5) drug treatment and enforcement, (6) justice system strategic planning, (7) technology for law enforcement and public safety, and (8) crime victim and witness services and programs. The cited law does not specifically call out "anti-drug and anti-gang" task force initiatives.

Under the 1968 law cited above, Congress is authorized to spend up to $1.095B per year for the Byrne/JAG Grant Program. However, annual funding has been less than 50% of the authorized amount since before the Bush Administration. Therefore the "restore funding" aspect of this promise was interpreted to apply to the Byrne/JAG Grant Program in its entirety. President Obama had to request and obtain the above-cited authorized funding level of $1.095B for Byrne/JAG for this promise to be fulfilled. Here are the annual appropriations for Byrne/JAG under President Obama:
FY2010....$511M
FY2011....$424M
FY2012....$352M
FY2013....$352M
FY2014....$376M
FY2015....$376M
FY2016....$376M
FY2017....$403M

Other than the "plus-up" authorized under the ARRA, we see a steady year-to-year decline in funding for the Byrne/JAG Grant Program (including anti-drug and anti-gang activities mitigation) during the timeframe FY2010-FY2013, with the remaining years funded at roughly one third of the authorized amount.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-14The Promise: "Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe the [sentencing] disparity between crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong, cannot be justified and should be eliminated....will work in a bipartisan way to eliminate these disparities."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice for All" dated 09/11/08.
Source: Source document was available online throughout the Obama Administration. It has since been deleted from all archival websites.
Status:Section 4713 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, signed into law by President Obama on 10/28/09, states in part: "Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the United States Sentencing Commission shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on mandatory minimum sentencing provisions under Federal law. The report ... shall include...an assessment of the effect of mandatory minimum sentencing provisions under Federal law on the goal of eliminating unwarranted sentencing disparity and other goals of sentencing..."

The Senate voted in favor of a bill on 03/17/10 to reduce the sentencing disparity between cocaine and crack offenses to a ratio of 18 to 1. This was far from the 1 to 1 ratio sought by the House, but the House approved a similar bill on 07/28/10, retaining the 18 to 1 ratio. President Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 into law on 08/03/10.

This promise was fulfilled.
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JU-15The Promise: "...will immediately review (mandatory minimum) sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the ineffective warehousing of nonviolent drug offenders."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/300/reform-mandatory-minimum-sentences/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

Section 4713 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, signed into law by President Obama on 10/28/09, states in part: "Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the United States Sentencing Commission shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on mandatory minimum sentencing provisions under Federal law."

On 11/22/16, President Obama commuted the sentences of 79 drug offenders, bringing the total number of similar commutations during his two terms in office to 1,032. Of these inmates serving life sentences prior to commutation: 342.

This promise was fulfilled.
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JU-16The Promise: "...would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Supporting Urban Prosperity", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550008/barack-obama-2008-supporting-urban-prosperity.pdf
Status:While an FY2010 improvement to this amendment permits state and local law enforcement officials to have full access to gun trace databases to analyze gun trafficking patterns, President Obama's promise was to "repeal" this amendment, a repeal supported by the Brady Campaign and "Mayors Against Illegal Guns."

Rather, President Obama's FY2011 budget proposal maintained language that required the destruction of most Brady Law background check records, banned the government from requiring gun dealers to fully account for firearms in their possession, and prohibited public access to information about guns used to commit crimes.

Nonetheless, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the "Tiahrt Restrictions Repeal Act" (H.R. 661) on 02/13/13 (113th Congress) and again before the 114th Congress (H.R. 1449) on 03/18/15. These bills expired without enactment action at the end of CY2014 and CY2016 respectively.

As of end-CY2016, despite renewed gun control efforts, the Tiahrt Amendment, which enjoys strong support from the National Rifle Association (NRA), had not been repealed.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-17The Promise: "Establish the legal status of contractor personnel, making possible prosecution of any abuses committed by private military contractors."
When/Where: Obama Campaign Document "A 21st Century Military for America" dated 11/26/07.
Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/6245756/Barack-Obama-on-Defense-Issues-A-21st-Century-Military-for-America
Status:The Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (MEJA)/Expansion and Enforcement Act of 2007 was introduced by Representative David Price (D-NC) on 06/15/07. This legislation was initially passed by the House on 10/04/07, but didn't get any further in the Senate.

It was felt at the time that DoD and other agency contractors serving in such areas as Iraq or Afghanistan could engage in criminal conduct with impunity because they operated outside of the jurisdiction of the United States criminal code.

On 02/02/10, Congressman David Price (D-NC) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced bills (H.R. 4567 and S. 2979 respectively) entitled "Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (CEJA) of 2010." No action beyond initial Committee reviews was taken on these bills during the 111th Congress and both expired at the end of CY2010. Congressman Price and Senator Leahy reintroduced their CEJA bills to the 112th Congress (H.R. 2136 and S. 1145) on 06/03/11 and 06/06/11 respectively. Both bills expired with the 112th Congress at the end of CY2012.

Senator Leahy again reintroduced a CEJA to the 113th Congress (S. 2598) on 07/14/14 and to the 114th Congress (S. 1377) on 05/19/15. These bills expired without further enactment action at the end of CY2014 and CY2016 respectively.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-18The Promise: "...will direct his Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary to meet with their Latin American and Caribbean counterparts in the first year of his presidency to produce a regional strategy to combat drug trafficking, domestic and transnational gang activity, and organized crime. A hemispheric pact..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Renewing U.S. Leadership in the Americas" dated 06/06/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/223/direct-attorney-general-and-homeland-security-secr/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

In the first 100 days of the Obama Administration, the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) launched new initiatives to combat Mexican drug cartels both in the USA and in Mexico in close coordination with their Mexican counterparts. Attorney General Eric Holder's first foreign trip was to Mexico in early 04/09, accompanied by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. During meetings with Mexican President Calderon and Mexican Attorney General Medina-Mora, the framework of a new regional strategy was discussed, but no further action is known to have taken place towards its production.

The fifth Summit of the Americas held at Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on 04/17-19/09 provided a 'one-stop-shopping' opportunity for DOJ and DHS high level officials to meet with all their Latin American and Caribbean counterparts to agree on the framework for the promised "regional strategy." This didn't happen.

It should be noted that programs to thwart Latin America/Caribbean drug trafficking, gang activity and organized crime were in place long before President Obama assumed the presidency. When this promise was made, effective programs included but were not limited to the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), Colombia's Justice Sector Reform Program (JSRP), the Partnership for Growth Program, the "Merida Initiative" for Mexico and Central America, and others.

While DOJ/DHS focused exchanges based on specific regional/bilateral drug/criminal incidents with Mexico, Colombia and others throughout CY2009, there was no concentrated effort (beyond high level bilateral discussions) during President Obama's "first year" in office to develop a new USA/Latin America/Caribbean "hemispheric pact" to combat organized crime, drug trafficking or cross-border gang activity.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-19The Promise: "...signing a law that would authorize federal magistrates to preside over drug courts and federal probation officers to oversee the offenders' compliance with drug treatment programs. They will ensure that our federal courts and probation offices have adequate resources to deal with this new program."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/301/enhance-drug-courts/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1994 authorized the Attorney General to make grants to state and local governments to establish drug courts. Attempts to federalize drug courts go back to at least CY2000 (106th Congress, S. 3191) but never passed either the Senate or the House.

In a 06/06 DOJ document entitled "Report to Congress on the Feasibility of Federal Drug Courts," the DOJ concluded that the establishment of such courts was not feasible. The rationale for this conclusion:
(1) There are already substantial programs that help federal offenders overcome their substance abuse problems during the pretrial, incarceration, and supervised release phases of their cases.
(2) The majority of drug offenders in the federal criminal system have committed serious drug trafficking offenses and are not amenable to, or eligible for, drug-court-type programs.
(3) The diversion of prosecutorial and financial resources necessary to create and maintain a federal drug court program would harm efforts to target drug traffickers and other serious offenders and reduce funds available to existing state drug court programs.

Nonetheless, when President Obama assumed the presidency in 01/09, among the nearly 3,000 drug courts in the nation at the time, 30 Federal reentry courts already existed. These Federal Drug Courts have programs for federal offenders with documented substance abuse problems who are on supervised release in the community and who volunteer to join the program.

The bottom line is that during President Obama's two terms in office, no new law was enacted to authorize federal magistrates to preside over drug courts. Some would argue that none was needed.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-20The Promise: "...will create a prison-to-work incentive program, modeled on the Welfare-to-Work Partnership, to create ties with employers, third-party agencies that provide training and support services to ex-offenders, and to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/305/create-a-prison-to-work-incentive-program/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

The "Federal Prison Work Incentive Act of 2009" (H.R. 1475) introduced by Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) on 03/12/09, although not directly related, could have been used as a vehicle to address the provisions of this promise as regards the transition of an ex-offender from prison to mainstream society -- but wasn't. This bill died when the 111th Congress adjourned at the end of CY2010.

The "Prisoner Incentive Act of 2011" (H.R. 2344) introduced by Congressman Robert Scott (D-VA) on 06/23/11 also could have been used as a vehicle to address a prison-to-work incentive program. It wasn't.

To his credit, President Obama's FY2011 budget proposal provided $144M for prisoner re-entry programs, including $100M for the Office of Justice Programs to administer grant programs authorized by the "Second Chance Act of 2007," signed into law by President Bush on 04/09/08.

However, no prison-to-work incentive program modeled on the Welfare-to-Work Partnership was created during President Obama's two terms in office.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-21The Promise: "...will give first-time, nonviolent drug offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug-rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior."
When/Where: Candidate Obama Speech, Howard University Convocation, 09/28/07.
Source: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=77014
Status:The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (S. 1789) was signed into law by President Obama on 08/03/10. This would have been a perfect opportunity to define revised sentencing procedures for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders. This did not happen.

As of end-CY2016, the tail end of President Obama's two terms in office, minimum mandatory sentences and/or sentencing guidelines were in effect at both the Federal and State levels and most involved incarceration for varying periods of time for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-22The Promise: "...will also repeal the mandatory minimum sentence for first time offenders convicted of simple possession of crack, as crack is the only drug that a non-violent first-time offender can receive a mandatory minimum sentence for possessing."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Creating Equal Opportunity and Justice For All", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/299/eliminate-disparity-in-sentencing-for-crack-and-co/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

Prior to 08/10, a person convicted of possessing five grams of crack cocaine received a mandatory five year prison sentence.

President Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (S. 1789) into law on 08/03/10. This law repealed the mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack as required by Section 401(a) of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 844(a)).

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
JU-23The Promise: "...supports tough penalties, increased enforcement resources and forensic tools for law enforcement, and collaboration between law enforcement and the private sector to identify and prosecute people who abuse the Internet to try to exploit children."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Connecting and Empowering All Americans Through Technology and Innovation" dated 11/13/07.
Source: https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2009/04/obamatechplan.pdf
Status:The Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was enacted on 10/21/98, during the Clinton Administration. Its stated purpose was to restrict access by minors to any material defined as harmful to such minors on the Internet. The law, however, never took effect, as three separate rounds of litigation (including U.S. Supreme Court review without action) led to a permanent injunction against the law on 01/21/09, one day after President Obama's first inauguration.

Under Title 18, Part I, Chapter 110, Section 2251 of the U.S. Code, first violators of sexual exploitation of children are subject to not less than 15 years of imprisonment. Persons with a previous conviction of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact involving a minor, sex trafficking of children, or the production, possession, receipt, mailing, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of child pornography shall be fined and imprisoned for not less than 25 years. Persons with two or more prior convictions shall be fined and imprisoned for not less than 35 years.

To strengthen the above law, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the "Child Protection Act of 2012" (S. 3456) on 07/30/12 pertaining to child pornography and child exploitation offenses. This bill specifically addressed tougher penalties than those articulated in Title 18 above. In fact, it addressed the penalty for pornography (any visual depiction or imagery) involving prepubescent or minors younger than 12 years of age as being "fined...and imprisoned for not more than 20 years...," more than the requirement addressed in Title 18 for first-time offenders. S. 3456 was incorporated 100% into the House version of the "Child Protection Act of 2012" (H.R. 6063) introduced by Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) on 06/29/12 and signed into law by President Obama on 12/07/12. Referred to as Public Law (P.L.) 112-206, this law also incorporates relevant portions of the "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011" (H.R. 1981 and S. 1308).

The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children. The ICAC program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces representing over 3,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. These agencies are engaged in both proactive and reactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions. With increased funding to help state and local agencies to develop effective responses to online child victimization, including responses to the online sharing of child sexual abuse images, the DOJ's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has increased the capacity of thousands of communities across the country to combat Internet crimes against children.

During the 6-year period FY2003-FY2008, the ICAC Task Force was funded at an average of $13.9M per annum. Under President Obama and buttressed by a $50M plus-up under the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009," the average funding of the ICAC Task Force over the 6-year period FY2009-FY2014 was $35.4M per annum, settling at the $27M per annum level starting in FY2014, more than twice the average per annum ICAC funding during the Bush Administration.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
Crime - Katrina RelatedGrade
JU-24The Promise: "Will finish rebuilding the region's criminal justice system so that we do not have to rely on the National Guard to patrol city streets..Will establish a special "COPS for Katrina" program to allow communities impacted by the storm to hire and retain new officers and community prosecutors, develop community-based crime fighting strategies, and rebuild their lost infrastructure..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Rebuilding the Gulf Coast and Preventing Future Catastrophes" dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550006/barack-obama-2008-rebuilding-the-gulf-coast-and.pdf
Status:The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included nearly $160 million to fund Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for the region devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

173 regional law enforcement agencies benefited from these funds which facilitated the hiring of over 850 police officers, replacing National Guard personnel.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
DEAGrade
JU-25The Promise: "Will strengthen Drug Enforcement Administration efforts to stop the reestablishment of drug gangs across the region."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Rebuilding the Gulf Coast and Preventing Future Catastrophes" dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550006/barack-obama-2008-rebuilding-the-gulf-coast-and.pdf
Status:The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was funded (less any supplement) in the amount of $1.544B in FY2009 to combat domestic, drug-related organized crime. Under the Obama Administration, this was increased by nearly half a billion dollars to $1.604B in FY2010, an amount maintained for FY2011 under Continuing Resolution funding. For FY2012, this line item was slightly decreased to $1.602M, the same amount enacted for FY2013.

Subsequent year funding for Domestic Enforcement operations was as follows:
FY2014....$1.592B
FY2015....$1.587B
FY2016....$1.610B
FY2017....$1.631B

The DEA's Domestic Enforcement resources were significantly "strengthened" in Gulf of Mexico littoral states to thwart the re-establishment of drug gangs in the post-Katrina era. This was despite the fact that critical resources in the fight against narco-trafficking across the Gulf region took a direct hit with the 9/30/12 decommissioning of the Navy's Airborne Early Warning (AEW) squadron (VAW-77) stationed at Belle Chase, LA. This squadron had been effective in supporting DEA's mission by detecting the movement by sea and air of illicit drugs destined for the Southeast USA from the Caribbean and Latin America.

Nonetheless, this promise was fulfilled.
1.00
Domestic ViolenceGrade
JU-26The Promise: "...will also issue a joint report on "best practices" across agencies and disseminate that information to the states."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Ending Violence Against Women and Children" dated 10/31/07.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/120/issue-a-best-practices-report-for-states-on-redu/
Status:Source is cited for confirmation of exact promise wording only, as it existed before original "When/Where" campaign document was deleted from archival websites.

H.R.3401, entitled "Improving Assistance to Domestic and Sexual Violence Victims Act of 2009" was introduced on 07/30/09 by Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-FL). This proposed legislation was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security on 08/19/09 where it sat until it expired with the 111th Congress at the end of CY2010.

On the Senate side, S.327 with the same title was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on 01/26/09 and this initiative resulted in a Committee on the Judiciary Report No. 111-85 filed on 10/01/09. This bill also died with the 111th Congress at the end of CY2010.

On 04/27/12, Congresswoman Sandy Adams (R-FL) introduced the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012" (H.R. 4970) which specifically addressed the adoption of "best practices" to be shared with states. This bill passed the House on 05/16/12 but did not receive passage in the Senate before the 112th Congress expired at the end of CY2012.

On 01/22/13, Senator Leahy reintroduced his bill as the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013" (S. 47). This bill addressed best practices for "responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking" and directs inter-agency reporting and information sharing with states. This bill was signed into law by President Obama on 03/07/13.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
JU-27The Promise: "Senator Obama co-sponsored and helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Reauthorized in January 2006, the bill provides funds to help communities, nonprofit organizations and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. The legislation also establishes a sexual assault services program and provides education grants to prevent domestic violence. As president, Obama will fully fund and implement VAWA."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Ending Violence Against Women and Children" dated 10/31/07.
Source: Source document was available online throughout the Obama Administration. It has since been deleted from all archival websites.
Status:The FY2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law by President Obama on 12/16/09 provided $444.5M to the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) for the VAWA program. In addition, the law provided $181.4M to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for domestic violence programs. $415.5M was the enacted amount for OVW activities in FY2010.

For FY2011, President Obama's budget submission included $457M for VAWA (plus $192.3M for HHS domestic violence programs). Under Continuing Resolution procedures, $418.5M was appropriated for OVW for FY2011.

On 11/30/11, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011" (S. 1925). This bill passed the Senate on 04/26/12, but did not pass the House as of end-CY2012 when the 112th Congress expired.

Nonetheless, for FY2012, the OVW was funded at the $412.5M level against the President's request for $431.7M, an amount President Obama requested again for FY2013.

On 01/22/13, Senator Leahy reintroduced his bill as the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013" (S. 47). This bill passed the Senate in a 78 to 22 vote on 02/12/13, authorizing $659M for VAWA related programs. This bill was signed into law by President Obama on 03/07/13.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
JU-28The Promise: "...the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act "to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments...will sign this bill into law..."
When/Where: Obama-Biden Plan: "Supporting Urban Prosperity", dated 09/11/08.
Source: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/550008/barack-obama-2008-supporting-urban-prosperity.pdf
Status:After several unsuccessful attempts during previous sessions of Congress, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) reintroduced the "Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2015" (H.R. 3005) on 07/09/15. No action was taken on this bill and it expired with the 114th Congress at the end of CY2016.

This promise was not fulfilled.
0.00
Gay RightsGrade
JU-29The Promise: "I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes."
When/Where: Open Letter from Barack Obama to the LGBT Community dated 02/28/08.
Source: http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2008/02/open_letter_from_barack_obama_to_the_lgb.php
Status:On 04/29/09, Obama verbally supported passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The House voted in favor of this proposed law on 04/29/9, followed by the Senate on 10/22/09. The bill was attached to the Defense Budget for FY2010, which was signed into law by the President on 10/28/09.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
JU-30The Promise: "Will support "repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions."
When/Where: Open Letter from Barack Obama to the LGBT Community dated 02/28/08.
Source: http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2008/02/open_letter_from_barack_obama_to_the_lgb.php
Status:DOMA is a 1996 law signed by President Bill Clinton that barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case supporting the repeal of the DOMA on 03/27/13 and overturned a provision in the DOMA on 06/26/13 that limited the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This development permitted same-sex marriages to benefit from the same federal benefits afforded to opposite-sex marriages in states where same same-sex unions were legal.

The Supreme Court ruling did not repeal DOMA, as the outright repeal of any law is a legislative branch, not a judicial branch, responsibility.

On 06/26/15, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. By striking down Section 3 of DOMA, the Supreme Court therefore allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry in all 50 states.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
Torture/RenditionGrade
JU-31The Promise: "...will eliminate the practice of extreme rendition, where we outsource our torture to other countries."
When/Where: Obama's Plan: The War We Need to Win" dated 07/31/07.
Source: http://www.mattluedke.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CounterterrorismFactSheet.pdf
Status:Executive Order 13491 signed by President Obama on 01/22/09 directed the creation of a special task force to study this issue. Led by the Attorney General, the newly-formed Interrogation and Transfer Policy Task Force conducted a review of the Army Field Manual interrogation guidelines and looked at rendition and other policies for transferring individuals to third countries. The purpose of this review was to ensure that U.S. policies and practices complied with all obligations and were sufficient to ensure that individuals did not face torture and cruel treatment if transferred.

The task force's recommendations were provided to the White House on 08/24/09 and found that Army Field Manual 2-22.3 provided appropriate guidance on interrogation for military interrogators and that no additional or different guidance was necessary for other agencies.

The task force also recommended that the interrogation of the most dangerous terrorists could be improved by forming a High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) composed of experienced interrogators from across the Intelligence Community, the Department of Defense and law enforcement.

Under the new guidelines, the Department of State was directed to seek "assurances from the receiving country" that a transferred suspect would not be tortured. Further, the Inspector Generals of the Departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security were directed to submit annual reports on transfers they initiate. Finally, the report recommended that a monitoring mechanism be established to ensure that transferred individuals would not be tortured.

The task force's recommendations did not lead to the full cessation of extreme renditions. The only significant change is that the U.S. Government now relies on foreign governments to (1) grant access to transferred prisoners, and (2) assure the U.S. Government that such prisoners are not being tortured.

During the Obama Administration, there was no effective mechanism put in place to ensure that a receiving country is not employing torture as a means to obtain actionable intelligence information.

This promise was not fulfilled.
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JU-32The Promise: "Obama will end the use of torture without exception."
When/Where: Obama's Plan: "The War We Need To Win" dated 07/31/07.
Source: http://www.mattluedke.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CounterterrorismFactSheet.pdf
Status:On 01/22/09, President Obama signed Executive Order (EO) 13491 entitled "Ensuring Lawful Interrogations."

EO 13491 states in part: "Effective immediately, an individual in the custody or under the effective control of an officer, employee, or other agent of the United States Government, or detained within a facility owned, operated, or controlled by a department or agency of the United States, in any armed conflict, shall not be subjected to any interrogation technique or approach, or any treatment related to interrogation, that is not authorized by and listed in Army Field Manual 2-22.3" which is entitled "Human Intelligence Collector Operations."

EO 13491 also established a Special Task Force to review interrogation and transfer policies.

This promise was fulfilled.
1.00
Justice GPA0.44