Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing on, “Oversight of the administration’s Use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Authorities.” The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is the committee of primary jurisdiction for both authorities principally discussed at the hearing today: Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. Fol... Read more »
Following the jury’s verdict in the Trayvon Martin case, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “In the wake of this weekend’s verdict, I strongly support the Department of Justice’s determination to conduct an independent and thorough review of the Trayvon Martin case and consider whether federal charges should be brought. “Beyond the Department’s investigation, I... Read more »
Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), ranking member of the full U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, and Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) se... Read more »
Today, a new White House report was released finding that comprehensive immigration reform would create jobs, boost productivity and economic growth, raise worker’s wages, and strengthen Social Security. Following the release of the report, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “The White House report today makes clear: comprehensive immigration reform is a boon t... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law held a hearing entitled, “H.R. 2122, the ‘Regulatory Accountability Act of 2013.” Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement as his opening remarks: “The so-called ‘Regulatory Accountability Act’ – which effectively will prevent agencies from issuing regulations – is among... Read more »
Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-Mich.), Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) met with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss his sworn congressional testimony and the search warrant for James Rosen’s e-mails. After the mee... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee Markup of H.R. 2131, the “Supplying Knowledge-based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas Act (The SKILLS Visa Act).” This comes on the heels of a full committee Markup yesterday of H.R. 1772, the “Legal Workforce Act,” that would make E-Verify, an electronic employment verification system, mandatory for all employers. Following... Read more »
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in a 5-4 decision, that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. Section 3 defined marriage for purposes of federal law as the legal union of a man and woman, thus denying thousands of married gay and lesbian couples federal responsibilities and rights provided all other married couples. Following the decision by the Supreme Court, Congress... Read more »
Today, senior members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee including John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr, (R-Wis.), Melvin L. Watt (D-N.C.), and Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) released this statement addressing the Supreme Court ruling in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder that overturned the coverage formula for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. In a 5-4 decision, the Court voted "Our... Read more »
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder. In a 5-4 decision, the Court overturned the coverage formula for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, stating that, "Our decision in no way affects the permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting found in [Section] 2. We issue no holding on [Section] 5 itself, only on the coverage formula. Congress may draft a... Read more »
