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.
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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.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) released the following statements after the White House announced the commutation of the sentences of hundreds of individuals this week, which brings President Obama's record to 1,715 commutations in total:
Detroit, MI – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) released the following statement after the Architect of the Capitol removed Untitled #1, the winning entry from Missouri's 1st congressional district in the 2016 Congressional Art Competition following criticism of the artwork by Speaker Ryan and several GOP Members of Congress:
Washington, D.C. (Jan. 12, 2017)- House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. joined Rep. Elijah E.
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Subcommittee Ranking Members Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Steve Cohen (D-TN), called on the United States Department of Justice and the United States Office of Government Ethics to review concerns of nepotism and conflicts of interest arising from President-elect Donald Trump's appointment of his son-in-law Jared Kushner.