Civil Rights for All Americans

Max believes that Americans deserve a justice system that lives up to the highest ideals of the Constitution, and that more work needs to be done to address the injustices of our past. Max supports a well-trained and well-led police force that enforces the law without bias, as well as additional resources for mental health treatment and social services so that police officers are not responsible for handling a variety of social problems for which they aren’t trained. Furthermore, we must invest in programs that reduce recidivism so that those who’ve paid their debt to society are able to reintegrate and become productive members of society.

Policing in America must be held to a high standard of equal protection under the law and police officers must be fairly compensated for the risks that they take everyday to protect us. Max was proud to cosponsor and vote for the Justice in Policing Act, which would implement long-overdue reforms to our policing and criminal justice system and would bring the rest of the country up to the standards of the NYPD, including: banning chokeholds by police officers, ending racial profiling, and providing resources for police departments nationwide to invest in community policing models.

An overwhelming 91% of U.S. adults say that marijuana should be legal for recreational or medical use. Despite the acceptance of marijuana across the country, nearly every minute one person is arrested for marijuana possession. Max was proud to vote for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment & Expungement (MORE) Act, which would end the federal criminalization of marijuana and align the public’s view with federal law. Max also strongly supports eliminating sentencing disparities for crack and powder cocaine, which is a racial justice issue.

The First Step Act, which President Trump signed into law, was a significant criminal justice reform bill that moved towards fairer sentencing, eased mandatory minimum sentences and more. It proved that Democrats and Republicans can come together for criminal justice reform and Max will work to build on its success.

Max was also an avid supporter of the LGBTQ community in Congress. He was a cosponsor of The Equality act, which would prohibit discrimination based off gender identity, or sexual orientation in a wide range of public accommodations which include, employment, housing and much more.

Additionally Max was one of the leading voices against President Trump’s Transgender ban in the military. As a veteran of the army Max knows that any qualified American who wants to serve this country, should be afforded the opportunity to do so, regardless of their gender identity.