Constitution
The Committee on the Judiciary plays an important role in protecting people's constitutional rights and-when the Constitution falls short of its promise "to form a more perfect Union"-in amending the Constitution. In the 116th Congress, the Committee passed a resolution to revoke the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and held hearings on state efforts to curb people's constitutional right to an abortion, the lasting negative impact of Citizens United on our campaign finance system, the constitutional role of the pardon power, and opportunities to reform presidential clemency. The Committee also filed several lawsuits to uphold its constitutional authority to conduct oversight of the executive branch. In the 117th Congress, the Committee will continue to build on these accomplishments and further the Constitution's promise of a more perfect Union.
More on Constitution
Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he is rescinding the memorandum issued in 2013 by former Deputy Attorney General James Cole that guided the efforts of federal prosecutors in marijuana cases. With the purpose of focusing federal marijuana prosecutions on "the most significant threats, in the most effective, consistent, and rational way," the "Cole Memo" was issued "in light of state ballot initiatives that legalize under state law the possession of small amounts of marijuana and provide for the regulation of marijuana production, processing, and sale."
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) today released the following statement on the Trump Administration's decision to dissolve the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity:
This evening, the New York Times reports that President Donald Trump ordered White House Counsel Don McGahn to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself from the Russia investigation, that Mr. McGahn carried out those orders, and that an aide to Attorney General Sessions approached congressional staff to ask for information that might damage the reputation of former FBI Director James Comey.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement in response:
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) today released a joint statement with Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Subcommittee Ranking Member David N.
Today, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, released the following statement after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) held a last minute, confidential meeting with Members of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees to interview FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe:
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, and U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after Judge George Daniels' ruling in CREW v. Trump in the Southern District of New York:
Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, sent a letter asking their respective Chairmen, Reps.