Constitution

Letter to Judidiary Chairman » Read more »

Today, Ranking Member John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) of the House Judiciary Committee, joined Congressman John B. Larson (D-Conn.), chairman of the Task Force on Election Reform, and Ranking Member Robert A. Brady (D-Penn.) of the Committee on House Administration, in submitting an Amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding the upcoming McCutcheon v. FEC case. The three leading members were joined on... Read more »

"The Amash/Conyers amendment would ensure that Section 215 of the Patriot Act is used as Congress originally intended – to protect American citizens from terrorist threats, but not to erode our fundamental freedoms. This Amendment does not repeal Section 215. Rather, it ensures that data the NSA collects under this authority pertains to people actually under investigation, rather than to all Americans." 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 »

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives considered H.R. 1797 the, “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” on the House floor. The legislation, which imposes a nationwide ban on abortions performed after 20 weeks, passed the House by a vote of 228 to 196. Following the passage of this legislation, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “Following multiple weeks... Read more »

Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released this statement applauding the Supreme Court ruling in Arizona et al. v. Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona that invalidated Arizona’s law requiring applicants to submit documentary proof of citizenship beyond what is required by the common registration “Federal Form” established by the National Voter Registration Act... Read more »

This morning, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee markup of H.R. 1797, the “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.” The legislation was passed out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 20 to 12. Following the markup, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement: “The legislation considered today by the Judiciary Committee represents one of the mo... Read more »

Rep. John Conyers issued the following statement: “Yesterday’s revelations concerning widespread surveillance of Internet communications, combined with the disclosures concerning surveillance of Americans’ phone records raise serious alarm bells. “I agree with the president’s sentiment expressed last month that we are at a crossroads in the so-called war against terror. It is vital that we underst... Read more »