Government Oversight
To advance its legislative agenda, the Judiciary Committee conducts regular oversight of the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among other government agencies. The Committee is also responsible for determining whether to recommend articles of impeachment against federal officials. In 2019, the Committee advanced two articles of impeachment against Donald J. Trump to the House of Representatives.
More on Government Oversight
This afternoon, the U.S. Department of Justice transmitted a letter in response to Congressman Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Congressman Sensenbrenner's (R-Wisc.) letter to the attorney general on May 29, 2013. Following the delivery of this letter, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:
Today marks the 59th anniversary of the seminal civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). In this case, the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson,163 U.S. 537 (1896) which held that separate but equal treatment of blacks and whites was constitutional. Oliver Brown, along with a collection with thirteen African American parents filed suit against the Board of Education of the City of Topeka, Kansas after their children were denied admittance to the closest all White elementary school in their district. Mr.
This morning, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, alongside the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Economic Growth, held a hearing entitled, "DOJ's Quid pro Quo with St. Paul: A Whistleblower's Perspective." Following the reading of opening statements at the hearing, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued this statement:
"I am deeply disappointed in my colleagues from across the aisle for holding a joint hearing this morning that was misleading and not based in fact.
Today, the House of Representatives voted 288 to 127 to pass H.R. 624, the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act" (CISPA). This legislation overrides current privacy laws to permit private companies to share information with the federal government if there is a suspected cyber threat, but does not require the companies to remove unrelated private information of customers from what they turn over. Under the bill, companies would also enjoy broad liability protection. Following passage of the bill, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued this statement:
Today, former Chairmen of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) and Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) responded to oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Shelby County v. Holder. The bipartisan group of members filed a brief as amici curiae on February 1, 2013 to affirm what the Supreme Court has declared for over 50 years: Congress can enforce Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act under Congress's 15th Amendment Powers. Specifically, Section 5 halts discrimination at the outset of any voting change made in a state.
This morning, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee oversight hearing entitled, "Drones and the War on Terror: When Can the U.S. Target Alleged American Terrorists Overseas?" Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following statement during his opening remarks:
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I very much appreciate that our Committee is examining such a pressing matter: the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or 'drones,' to strike at suspected terrorists abroad.
This morning, the House Judiciary Committee held a Full Committee Markup of H. Res. 819, "Directing the Attorney General of the United States to transmit to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, any documents and legal memoranda in the Attorney General's possession relating to the practice of targeted killing of United States citizens and targets abroad." Representatives John Conyers, Jr.