House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), and the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) today released the following joint statement in the wake of the death of Tiffany May Joslyn, Deputy Chief Counsel of the Crime Subcommittee (Democ... Read more »
“At the markup for the resolution establishing the Executive Overreach Task Force, I had expressed the concern that this Task Force might be used as a platform for partisan political attacks. “I also expressed the hope that we could work collaboratively in some areas of mutual interest, in particular those centering on strengthening Congress’s ability to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. ... Read more »
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to associate myself with your comments about our jurisdiction. “It is not an accident that the House Judiciary Committee is the committee of primary jurisdiction with respect to the legal architecture of government surveillance. “In times of heightened tension, many of our colleagues will rush to do something, anything, to get out in front of an issue. We welcome t... Read more »
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016 10:00 a.m. Executive Overreach Task Force Hearing 2237 Rayburn House Office Building "The Original Understanding of the Role of Congress and How Far We’ve Drifted From It" Witnesses: Mr. Matthew Spalding, Associate Vice President and Dean of Educational Programs Hillsdale College, Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship Mr. James C. Capretta, Vi... Read more »
“H.R. 3624, the so-called “Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act of 2016,” is not really about fraud. Rather, this measure is just the latest attempt to tilt the civil justice system in favor of corporate defendants by making it more difficult for plaintiffs to pursue state law claims in state courts. “I say this for several reasons. To begin with, H.R. 3624 addresses a nonexistent problem. “Under cur... Read more »
On Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 1:00 p.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled “The Encryption Tightrope: Balancing Americans’ Security and Privacy.” The House Judiciary Committee previously held member briefings on encryption, which included a briefing from technology companies and a classified briefing from the government. As encryption has increasingly become much more widespr... Read more »
“Today’s hearing is the 29th anti-regulatory hearing that the Committee has held over the past 5 years. Yet, during those same 5 years, the Committee has not conducted a single hearing on – The devastating impact that overwhelming student loan debt has on families and our Nation’s economy; or How to strengthen protections for employees and retirees of companies and municipalities that seek bankrup... Read more »
“For several reasons, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in opposing H.R. 3892, the ‘Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2015.’ “Most importantly, our Committee is marking up this bill without holding a single hearing and without considering the serious diplomatic and foreign policy ramifications of our actions. “Less than one year ago, our Committee marked up a... Read more »
Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN) issued a letter to U.S. A... Read more »
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) released the following statement after the White House unveiled its roadmap for closing the U.S. military prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: “It is long past time to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The prison undermines our national security. It costs hundreds of millions of dollars to operate. It remains a bli... Read more »