Media Center

Conyers: Board Ruling on Emergency Manager Law Repeal Petitions A Blow to Democracy for 203,238 Citizens Who Signed

| Posted in Press Releases

(DETROIT) – Last Thursday, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers ruled not to validate the petitions placing a referendum on Michigan’s emergency manager law on the ballot. In a split 2-2 decision, The Board did not validate the petitions after a group opposed to the referendum argued that text of the petition was not printed in the required 14 point font size, despite an affidavit submitted by t... Read more »

Conyers Opposes Legislation Limiting Americans With Disabilities Act

| Posted in Press Releases

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on “The Department of Justice’s Guidance on Access to Pools and Spas Under the ADA.” The purpose of the hearing was to examine the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (“ADA”) more than 20 year old mandate for businesses to take “readily achievable” steps to increase access for people with disabili... Read more »

Conyers Pledges to Support Constitutional Amendment to Limit Secret Corporate Campaign Cash in Elections Permitted Under Citizens United

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, at a Congressional Summit on Overturning Citizens United, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) pledged to work towards passing a constitutional amendment to expressly permit Congress the power to regulate corporate spending in federal elections. The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizen’s United v. FEC equated corporate campaign donations with free speech, over... Read more »

Restrictive State Voter ID Laws: The Real Threat to Voting Rights

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on “Voting Wrongs: Oversight of the Justice Department’s Voting Rights Enforcement.” The purpose of the hearing was to examine the Justice Department’s recent handling of voting rights matters, including the Department’s decision to challenge certain state’s restrictive voter identification laws. House Judiciary... Read more »

At Senate Judiciary Panel Conyers Calls on Congress to Pass End Racial Profiling Act

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights at a hearing entitled “Ending Racial Profiling in America.” He spoke to the need for Congress to enact his legislation to end racial profiling by law enforcement and the importance of community based policing as means to ... Read more »

Conyers: Proposed Consent Agreement Inconsistent With Our Values

| Posted in Press Releases

(DETROIT) – Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released the following statement in response to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s new proposed consent agreement between the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit. Last week, Representatives Conyers, Hansen Clarke, and Gary Peters sent a letter to Governor Snyder requesting his administration to explain its position and to provide doc... Read more »

House Judiciary Democrats Encourage Department of Justice to Review Trayvon Martin Shooting Under Federal Hate Crime Laws

| Posted in Press Releases

Today, Democratic Members of the House Judiciary Committee led by Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder encouraging the Department of Justice to review the shooting of Trayvon Martin under a federal hate crimes statute. Under federal law, it is a crime to willfully cause bodily injury because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, or na... Read more »