Constitution
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), House Rules Committee Ranking Member Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY), and House Judiciary Committee Members Reps.
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN) released a document entitled "Alternative Facts" v. Reality: Ethics, Conflicts of Interest, and the Emoluments Clause.
Today, House Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to kill Rep. Jerrold Nadler's (D-NY) resolution of inquiry, H. Res. 111. The resolution would have directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide the House of Representatives with information relevant to President Trump's conflicts of interest, his potential violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause, and ties between his campaign advisors and the Russian regime.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I strongly support this important resolution of inquiry.
In the days leading up to consideration of this resolution, I have had ten names on my mind:
Edward Hutchinson. Henry Smith. Charles Sandman. Charles Wiggins. David Dennis. Wiley Mayne. Delbert Latta. Trent Lott. Carlos Moorhead. Joseph Maraziti.
These men, of course, were the ten members of this Committee who, in the summer of 1974, voted against all three articles of impeachment against President Nixon.
Witnesses
Kim Colby
Director, Christian Legal Center Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom
Casey Mattox
Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom's Center for Academic Freedom
Last night, the Chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees wrote a letter calling for an investigation into the leaks that exposed former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn--after consistently refusing to investigate either Flynn or Russian hacking. House Republicans have refused to investigate or even acknowledge concerns about Russian interference with the 2016 election and any Trump Administration connections to that interference.
Witnesses
Thomas Bruce
Director, Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute
Charles Geyh
John F. Kimerling Professor of Law, Indiana Law School
MEMBERS SAY: TRUMP MUST RESPECT THE SEPARATION OF POWERS THAT IS SO CRITICAL TO OUR DEMOCRACY
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Subcommittee on the Constitution Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN), Subcommittee on Intellectual Property Ranking Member, and former chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released the following joint statement after President Trump's outrageous comments this morning, where he said of federal judges, "even a bad high school student" would understand that his reading of the law is proper:
Today's forum comes as our Nation stands at a crossroads. For decades, we have granted safe haven to families fleeing persecution and violence. Will we continue down that path of refuge, tolerance, and inclusion pursued across parties and Administrations, or will we veer down the path of intolerance, xenophobia, and paranoia as the current Administration appears to be heading?
If we are to correct course, it will require each and every participant in our republic to take action.
It will take actions by citizens such as we have seen over the last two weeks – in the Women's March on Washington, and in spontaneous demonstrations that erupted all over the country.
More than 100 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by House Judiciary Committee Member Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), wrote to the Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly condemning the President's Muslim ban executive order and calling for a full Member-wide briefing no later than Friday, February 3, 2017.
Text of Legislation
Amendments
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA) today released the following statements in response to President Donald Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy:
Tonight, in a letter to her senior leadership, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates ordered attorneys at the Department of Justice not to defend legal challenges to President Trump's immigration order-which bans entry into the United States to travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and to refugees from around the world. Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement in response:
More than 160 House Democrats, led by U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) today introduced legislation to defund and rescind President Donald Trump's executive order banning travel from Muslim countries and suspending the refugee program.
Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement in response to Trump firing Acting Attorney General Sally Yates:
"President Trump has commenced a course of conduct that is Nixonian in its design and execution and threatens the long-vaunted independence of the Justice Department. If dedicated government officials deem his directives to be unlawful and unconstitutional, he will simply fire them as if government is a reality show. I call on my colleagues, regardless of party, to condemn this executive order and the reckless firing of our chief law enforcement officer.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY), House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to raise concerns about President Donald Trump's recent immigration executive order and urge for a joint meeting as soon as possible and in no event later than February 1.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) welcomed four new Democratic Members to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and announced the new subcommittee structure for the 115th Congress.
Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) are new to the committee. Congressman Jamie Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, will serve in a newly created Vice Ranking Member position this Congress.
All House Judiciary Democrats, led by Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), today renewed their request to have House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) hold hearings to examine the federal conflicts-of-interest and ethics laws that may apply to President Donald Trump.