Media Center

This afternoon, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing entitled, "The Release of Criminal Detainees by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Policy or Politics?" At the hearing, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following statement during his opening remarks:

"The title of today's hearing-'The Release of Criminal Detainees by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Policy or Politics?'-is somewhat misleading.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Arizona v. ITCA. The Court was presented with the issue of whether, under the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993" (NVRA), states can demand additional requirements to the federal uniform voter registration form. Since Arizona's Proposition 200 ballot initiative was approved in November 2004, the state has rejected tens-of-thousands of registrants for lacking documentation specified by the state to prove citizenship, on the grounds that affirmation of U.S. citizenship required by the NVRA is insufficient.

Today, President Obama nominated Thomas Perez, the current assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, to the secretary of labor post, following Hilda Solis's retirement. Following this announcement, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

"I applaud President Obama's nomination of Thomas Perez to become the next Secretary of Labor.

Fifty years ago, the United States Supreme Court decided, in a landmark unanimous ruling, that under the due process clause of the 14^th Amendment state courts are required to provide an attorney for defendants in criminal cases who are unable to afford legal counsel. This requirement already existed under the 6^th Amendment at the federal level, but was groundbreaking for extending the right to counsel to individuals at the state level.

Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), along with Representative Howard Coble (R-N.C.), chairman of the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee and Representative Mel Watt (D-N.C.), ranking member of the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Subcommittee, announced the introduction of legislation to restore consumers' ability to unlock their mobile phones, in order to switch from one wireless carrier to another. This bill also directs the U.S.