“Which brings me to a feature of the new policy that everybody should find objectionable: It is thoroughly undemocratic. The criminal laws that govern D.C. Superior Court are written by the D.C. Council, whereas the criminal laws that govern federal courts are written by Congress. As a result, in a city with no congressional representation, taking cases to federal court means moving them to a place where local citizens have no say in the law.“

Washington Post

February 14, 2019