United States House Committee on the Judiciary

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House Judiciary Committee
Standing committee
Active
Seal of the United States House of Representatives.svg
United States House of Representatives
118th Congress
History
FormedJune 6, 1813
Leadership
Chair Jim Jordan (R)
Since January 7, 2023
Ranking member Jerry Nadler (D)
Since January 7, 2023
Vice chair Vacant
Structure
Seats44
Political partiesMajority (25)
  •   Republican (25)
Minority (19)
Jurisdiction
Senate counterpart Senate Committee on the Judiciary

    The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, federal administrative agencies, and federal law enforcement entities. The Judiciary Committee is often involved in the impeachment process against federal officials. Because of the legal nature of its oversight, committee members usually have a legal background, but this is not required.

    Contents

    In the 118th Congress, the chairman of the committee is Republican Jim Jordan of Ohio, and the ranking minority member is Democrat Jerry Nadler of New York.

    History

    The committee was created on June 3, 1813, [1] for the purpose of considering legislation related to the judicial system. This committee approved impeachment resolutions/articles of impeachment against presidents in four instances: against Andrew Johnson (in 1867), Richard Nixon (in 1974), Bill Clinton (in 1998), and Donald Trump (in 2019).

    In the 115th Congress, the chairman of the committee was Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, and the ranking minority member was initially Democrat John Conyers of Michigan. On November 26, 2017, Conyers stepped down from his position as ranking member, while he faced an ethics investigation. [2] On November 28, 2017, Jerrold Nadler of New York was named as acting ranking member.

    In the 116th Congress, the House flipped from Republican to Democratic control. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia's 9th congressional district, became ranking member and served from 2019 to 2020. In early 2020, Collins stepped down from his leadership position when he became a candidate in the 2020 special election held to replace retiring U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. Under House Republican rules, members must relinquish leadership positions if they launch a bid for another office. [3] Collins was succeeded as ranking member by Jordan, who represents Ohio's 4th congressional district, but who has never taken a bar examination or practiced law.

    Predecessor committees

    Members, 118th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 14 (Chair), H.Res. 15 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 70 (R), H.Res. 71 (D), H.Res. 502 (D), H.Res. 908 (R)

    Subcommittees

    SubcommitteeChair [4] Ranking Member [5]
    Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust Thomas Massie (R-KY) David Cicilline (D-RI) (until 5/31/23)
    Lou Correa (D-CA) (from 5/31/23)
    The Constitution and Limited Government Mike Johnson (R-LA) (until 10/25/23)
    Chip Roy (R-TX) (from 10/26/23)
    Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA)
    Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Darrell Issa (R-CA) Hank Johnson (D-GA)
    Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Andy Biggs (R-AZ) Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
    Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Tom McClintock (R-CA) Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
    Responsiveness and Accountability to Oversight Ben Cline (R-VA) Eric Swalwell (D-CA)

    List of chairs

    ChairmanPartyStateYears
    Charles J. Ingersoll Democratic-RepublicanPennsylvania1813 –
    1815
    Hugh Nelson Democratic-RepublicanVirginia1815 –
    1819
    John Sergeant Democratic-RepublicanPennsylvania1819 –
    1822
    Hugh Nelson Democratic-RepublicanVirginia1822 –
    1823
    Daniel Webster FederalistMassachusetts1823 –
    1827
    Philip P. Barbour DemocraticVirginia1827 –
    1829
    James Buchanan DemocraticPennsylvania1829 –
    1831
    Warren R. Davis DemocraticSouth Carolina1831 –
    1832
    John Bell DemocraticTennessee1832 –
    1834
    Thomas F. Foster WhigGeorgia1834 –
    1835
    Samuel Beardsley DemocraticNew York1835 –
    1836
    Francis Thomas DemocraticMaryland1836 –
    1839
    John Sergeant WhigPennsylvania1839 –
    1841
    Daniel D. Barnard WhigNew York1841 –
    1843
    William Wilkins DemocraticPennsylvania1843 –
    1844
    Romulus M. Saunders DemocraticNorth Carolina1844 –
    1845
    George O. Rathbun DemocraticNew York1845 –
    1847
    Joseph R. Ingersoll WhigPennsylvania1847 –
    1849
    James Thompson DemocraticPennsylvania1849 –
    1851
    James X. McLanahan DemocraticPennsylvania1851 –
    1853
    Frederick P. Stanton DemocraticTennessee1853 –
    1855
    George A. Simmons Whig & RepublicanNew York1855 –
    1857
    George S. Houston DemocraticAlabama1857 –
    1859
    John Hickman RepublicanPennsylvania1859 –
    1863
    James F. Wilson RepublicanIowa1863 –
    1869
    John A. Bingham RepublicanOhio1869 –
    1873
    Benjamin F. Butler RepublicanMassachusetts1873 –
    1875
    James P. Knott DemocraticKentucky1875 –
    1881
    Thomas Brackett Reed RepublicanMaine1881 –
    1883
    John R. Tucker DemocraticVirginia1883 –
    1887
    David B. Culberson DemocraticTexas1887 –
    1889
    Ezra B. Taylor RepublicanOhio1889 –
    1891
    David B. Culberson DemocraticTexas1891 –
    1895
    David B. Henderson RepublicanIowa1895 –
    1899
    George W. Ray RepublicanNew York1899 –
    1903
    John J. Jenkins RepublicanWisconsin1903 –
    1909
    Richard W. Parker RepublicanNew Jersey1909 –
    1911
    Henry De Lamar Clayton DemocraticAlabama1911 –
    1914
    Edwin Y. Webb DemocraticNorth Carolina1914 –
    1919
    Andrew J. Volstead RepublicanMinnesota1919 –
    1923
    George S. Graham RepublicanPennsylvania1923 –
    1931
    Hatton W. Sumners DemocraticTexas1931 –
    1947
    Earl C. Michener RepublicanMichigan1947 –
    1949
    Emanuel Celler DemocraticNew York1949 –
    1953
    Chauncey W. Reed RepublicanIllinois1953 –
    1955
    Emanuel Celler DemocraticNew York1955 –
    1973
    Peter W. Rodino Jr. DemocraticNew Jersey1973 –
    1989
    Jack Brooks DemocraticTexas1989 –
    1995
    Henry Hyde RepublicanIllinois1995 –
    2001
    Jim Sensenbrenner RepublicanWisconsin2001 –
    2007
    John Conyers DemocraticMichigan2007 –
    2011
    Lamar Smith RepublicanTexas2011 –
    2013
    Bob Goodlatte RepublicanVirginia2013 –
    2019
    Jerrold Nadler DemocraticNew York2019 –
    2023
    Jim Jordan RepublicanOhio2023 –
    present

    Historical membership rosters

    116th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources: H.Res. 24 (Chair), H.Res. 25 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 46 (D), H.Res. 68 (R), H.Res. 903 (R), H.Res. 1037 (R)

    Subcommittees
    SubcommitteeChairRanking Member [6]
    Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law David Cicilline (D-RI) Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
    The Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Steve Cohen (D-TN) Mike Johnson (R-LA)
    Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Hank Johnson (D-GA) Martha Roby (R-AL)
    Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Karen Bass (D-CA) John Ratcliffe (R-TX)
    Immigration and Citizenship Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) Ken Buck (R-CO)

    115th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources: H.Res. 6 (Chair), H.Res. 45 (D), H.Res. 51 (R) and H.Res. 95 (D)

    114th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources:

    112th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources:

    111th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Task forces

    Antitrust Task Force: 108th Congress

    Chairman: Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI); Ranking member: John Conyers (D-MI)

    The Antitrust Task Force during the 108th Congress existed from March 26, 2003, to September 26, 2003. All Judiciary Committee Members also served as members of the Task Force, [8] and conducted hearings and investigations into consolidation of the Bell Telephone Companies. [9]

    Antitrust Task Force: 110th Congress

    Chairman: John Conyers (D-MI); Ranking member: Steve Chabot (R-OH)

    The Antitrust Task Force during the 110th Congress was established February 28, 2007, as a temporary subcommittee to examine the pending merger between XM Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. [10] The task force operated like any other subcommittee, except that it only has a six-month term. House Rules limit each full committee to just five subcommittees, and any task force, special subcommittee, or other subunit of a standing committee that is established for a cumulative period longer than six months in a Congress counts against that total. [11] A longer term for the task force would cause the Judiciary Committee to exceed this limit.

    Judicial Impeachment: 110th and 111th Congresses

    Chairman: Adam Schiff (D-CA) [12] Ranking member: Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) [12]

    Established in September 2008, [13] the Judicial Task force on Judicial Impeachment was to look into charges against District Judge Thomas Porteous. [13] The investigation was not completed by the end of the 110th Congress, and it was reestablished after the 111th Congress convened in January 2009. [14] The responsibilities of the Task Force were expanded to include the case of Judge Samuel B. Kent, [15] leading to hearings [16] and his subsequent impeachment by the full House of Representatives. [17] The Task force finally voted to impeach Porteous on January 21, 2010.

    Projects

    Hearings

    See also

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    References

    1. "The Creation of the Judiciary Committee | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives".
    2. Wilkinson, Tracy (November 26, 2017). "Rep. John Conyers quits House committee post amid sexual harassment probe". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
    3. Beavers, Olivia; Brufke, Juliegrace (February 6, 2020). "House Republicans move Jordan to Judiciary, Meadows to Oversight". The Hill. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
    4. "Chairman Jim Jordan Announces Judiciary Subcommittee Leadership". House Judiciary Committee Republicans. January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
    5. "Nadler Announces Judiciary Committee Democratic Subcommittee Members". U.S. House Judiciary Committee Democrats. January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
    6. "Collins Announces Ranking Members for House Judiciary Subcommittees". House Judiciary Committee. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
    7. Bachus news release Dec. 19
    8. "Judiciary Task Force on Antitrust". Archived from the original on May 14, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
    9. House Antitrust Task Force, Antitrust Review.com
    10. Anti-Trust Panel to Examine XM-Sirius Merger United States House Committee on the Judiciary Press Release, February 27, 2007
    11. Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule X(b)(C), Page 12
    12. 1 2 "House Judiciary Committee Announces Retention of Alan Baron to Lead Inquiry into Possible Impeachment of Judge Porteous" (Press release). U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. October 2, 2008. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
    13. 1 2 "House panel moves toward impeaching a judge". Associated Press. September 18, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
    14. Conyers, John Jr. (January 6, 2009). "H. Res. 15: Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to inquire whether the House should impeach G. Thomas Porteous, a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
    15. Conyers, John Jr. (May 29, 2009). "H. Res. 424: Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to inquire whether the House should impeach Samuel B. Kent, a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
    16. "Victims allege years of sexual misconduct by federal judge". CNN. June 3, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
    17. Powell, Stewart (June 19, 2009). "U.S. House impeaches Kent". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009. In action so rare it has been carried out only 14 times since 1803, the House on Friday impeached a federal judge — imprisoned U.S. District Court Judge Samuel B. Kent...