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
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr.
H.R. 469 Is an Assault on Americans Health, Safety, and Privacy
H.R. 469, the "Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2017," would significantly delay the process for ensuring that statutory deadlines established by Congress are enforced to protect Americans from serious harms such as dirty air and water, unsafe products, and reckless behavior by large financial institutions.
H.R. 732, the "Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017," would prohibit the federal government from entering into or enforcing any settlement agreement requiring donations to remediate harms that are not "directly and proximately" caused by a wrongdoer's unlawful conduct.
I oppose H.R. 732 for several reasons.
Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. John Conyers, Jr., the Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement in response to an announcement that Chairmen Trey Gowdy and Bob Goodlatte are opening a partisan Republican investigation into decisions made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2016:
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) issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration's issuance of two deeply troubling documents:
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 36 on a near party line vote of 237-189. H.R. 36, the so called "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" bans abortions beginning at 20 weeks after fertilization and is a direct challenge to the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.
H.R. 36, the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," is a dangerous and far-reaching attack on a woman's constitutional right to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy - a right that the Supreme Court guaranteed more than 44 years ago in Roe v. Wade.