Today, further details about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance program were made public in press accounts. Specifically, it was reported that internal NSA’s reports show that the agency repeatedly ran afoul of privacy rules. Following these public revelations, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Today, a federal judge ruled in the case of Floyd v. City of New York that the city’s “stop and frisk” policy is unconstitutional. After this ruling, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “Today’s federal court decision striking down New York’s stop-and-frisk policy is a victory for individual liberty and equal justice under the law. “The Court found t... Read more »
Today, Attorney General Eric Holder delivered an important speech at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in San Francisco. He spoke about the issue of overcrowding in federal prisons and the policies that have led to this problem. He said that, “too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long and for no good law enforcement reason.” He also stated that, “widespread incarcerati... Read more »
Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder co... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 232 to 183 to pass H.R. 367, the “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.” After passage of the legislation, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “Without question, the ‘REINS Act’ will have dangerous consequences for all Americans, chiefly by creating an unworkable approval process for regula... Read more »
The REINS Act fits into a broader conservative narrative about government overreach. But it comes after a string of disasters in recent years that were tied to government regulators falling short, including: the financial crisis of 2008; the explosion of the Dixie Crystal sugar refinery of 2008 (killed 14 people); the peanut butter salmonella outbreak of 2008-09 (killed 9 people); the BP oil spill... Read more »
Republicans claim to make rulemaking more efficient, but the RFA would expand the number of rules covered by the RFA and require agencies to perform excessive analysis of regulations that affect or indirectly affect small businesses. This would raise government spending by entailing more federal agencies to use panels of experts to evaluate regulations and to prepare reports on the economic impact... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee issued a minority staff report on, “U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s testimony before the Committee and the Justice Department’s Investigation of national security leaks.” Following the release of this report, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “After months of oversight work, the Minority staff report makes clear... Read more »
Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) joined civil rights groups in calling for passage of their legislation, the End Racial Profiling Act. This legislation is designed to protect minority communities by prohibiting the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officials. The End Racial Profiling Act is supported by 136 national organizations including the NAACP, ... Read more »
