The federal courts are one of the most important and controversial branches of the government. As a member of the Judiciary Committee and as Chairman of the Administrative Oversight and the Courts Subcommittee, Chuck has worked to bring openness, honesty, and efficiency to the system:

• Honest Confirmations: Chuck has also used his position as Chairman of the Courts Subcommittee to call for an end to "gotcha" tactics in judicial confirmation battles, suggesting instead that Senators return to the tradition of openly discussing questions of judicial ideology. He continues to push for the appointment of judges who meet his three requirements: legal excellence, moderation and diversity.
  
  
• Voting Reform: The United States is the world's oldest Democracy, but that's no reason to use the world's oldest voting machines. To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to vote and that every vote is counted, Chuck wrote pending legislation that provides $2.5 billion in grants to states that want to upgrade their voting equipment and offers states and localities access to the best available voting practices and processes. As a leader on this issue, Chuck helped broker a bi-partisan deal that could allow election reform legislation to reach the Senate floor in early 2002.
  
  
• Campaign Reform: Maintaining the people's faith in our democracy also requires that they have confidence in the system by which our campaigns are financed. That's why Chuck co-sponsored an amendment to close a major loophole in the campaign finance disclosure laws, and actively backed the McCain-Feingold reform bill on the Senate floor.
  
  
• Televised Trials: Chuck introduced bipartisan legislation to allow television cameras in federal trials, so that people can see a fair process at work even when they disagree with the ultimate verdict.

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