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, several educational, legal, human rights, and media organizations filed suit to challenge the National Security Agency's "upstream collection" surveillance programs, which monitor all international Internet traffic by intercepting, copying and reviewing Americans' communications en masse by intercepting telephone and Internet traffic from major Internet cables and switches, both foreign and domestic.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement after the Department of Justice released a report that cites the Missouri Ferguson Police Department engaged in a systemic and broad pattern of racially biased enforcement, including the use of unreasonable force against African-Americans:
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Ranking Member José E. Serrano, and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings issued the following statement in support of the District of Columbia's legal authority to implement its marijuana legalization initiative on Thursday:
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5421, the Financial Institution Bankruptcy Act of 2014 (FIBA), by a voice vote. FIBA is the product of the Judiciary Committee's multi-year examination of the ability of the bankruptcy laws to resolve a failing financial institution.
DETROIT – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. released the following statement after the announcement of the grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson, MO police officer Darren Wilson: