(DETROIT) – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) joined with six other Members of Congress urged the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, to bring more fairness to struggling students by establishing clear standards of eligibility for “undue hardship” discharge of federal student loans in bankruptcy. The members said this type of guidance would benefit the most vulnerable student loan de... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Today, the United States Supreme Court in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, reversed the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s ruling and upheld Michigan Proposal 2 prohibiting affirmative action in public education, government contracting, and public employment. Today’s decision did not deal with the issue of race-conscious admissions generally, whic... Read more »
Today, President Obama announced a new initiative called “My Brother’s Keeper” to address poverty, violence and incarceration rates among young men of color. Specifically, the Obama Administration will create a new presidential task force, the “My Brother’s Keeper Task Force,” that will assess which federal policies are aiding young men of color and which are failing them. Additionally, leading fo... Read more »
(DETROIT) – On this date 41 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade, affirming the constitutional right of women to make their own health care choices. In marking this historic anniversary, U.S. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) issued the following... Read more »
Following the bipartisan tradition of the Voting Rights Act, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), joined with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) Thursday to introduce bipartisan legislation to uphold the most vital principles of the historic law. The legislation supported by a range of civil rights ... Read more »
Today, all of the Democratic women on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee – including Representatives Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Karen Bass (D-Calif.) – sent a letter to Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) urging him to shift his focus away from denying women their constitutionally guaranteed right to make their own healthcare d... Read more »
(DETROIT) – Today, President Obama commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates serving lengthy time behind bars for nonviolent offenses related to crack cocaine under an older sentencing regime. This decision follows the implementation in 2011 of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, landmark criminal justice legislation that reduced mandatory minimum sentences for crack offenses and minimized the ... Read more »
Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Overcriminalization Task Force held a hearing entitled, “Regulatory Crime: Solutions.” At the hearing, Mr. John S. Baker, Jr., Ph.D. - a visiting professor at Georgetown Law School - and Mr. Lucian E. Dervan - an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law - testified, advocating for a rethink in the United States’ criminal justice sy... Read more »
Today, the House of Representatives voted 221 to 199 to pass H.R. 982, the “Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act (FACT) of 2013.” This legislation requires an asbestos trust to file quarterly reports with a bankruptcy court that includes asbestos victim’s personally identifying information. After passage of the bill, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “Th... Read more »
Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) joined Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.); Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC); Ben Jealous, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of the Jewish Voice for Peace, in calling for the Department of Justice to bring... Read more »
