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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.
| Standing committee | |
|---|---|
Active United States House of Representatives 118th Congress | |
| History | |
| Formed | June 6, 1813 |
| Leadership | |
| Chair | Jim Jordan (R) Since January 7, 2023 |
| Ranking member | Jerry Nadler (D) Since January 7, 2023 |
| Vice chair | Vacant |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 44 |
| Political parties | Majority (25)
|
| Jurisdiction | |
| Senate counterpart | Senate Committee on the Judiciary |
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.
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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
- Claims: Functions merged in 1946
- Immigration and Naturalization: Functions merged in 1946
- Internal Security: Functions merged in 1975
- Un-American Activities: Functions merged into Internal Security in 1969
- Patents: Functions merged in 1946
- Revision of Laws: Functions merged in 1946
- War Claims: Functions merged in 1946
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| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
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), H.Res. 1431 (García), H.Res. 1585 (Carter)
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| Subcommittee | Chair[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) (until 7/19/24) |
| 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) |
| Weaponization of the Federal Government (Select) | Jim Jordan (R-OH) | Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) |
| Chairman | Party | State | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles J. Ingersoll | Democratic-Republican | Pennsylvania | 1813 – 1815 |
| Hugh Nelson | Democratic-Republican | Virginia | 1815 – 1819 |
| John Sergeant | Democratic-Republican | Pennsylvania | 1819 – 1822 |
| Hugh Nelson | Democratic-Republican | Virginia | 1822 – 1823 |
| Daniel Webster | Federalist | Massachusetts | 1823 – 1827 |
| Philip P. Barbour | Democratic | Virginia | 1827 – 1829 |
| James Buchanan | Democratic | Pennsylvania | 1829 – 1831 |
| Warren R. Davis | Democratic | South Carolina | 1831 – 1832 |
| John Bell | Democratic | Tennessee | 1832 – 1834 |
| Thomas F. Foster | Whig | Georgia | 1834 – 1835 |
| Samuel Beardsley | Democratic | New York | 1835 – 1836 |
| Francis Thomas | Democratic | Maryland | 1836 – 1839 |
| John Sergeant | Whig | Pennsylvania | 1839 – 1841 |
| Daniel D. Barnard | Whig | New York | 1841 – 1843 |
| William Wilkins | Democratic | Pennsylvania | 1843 – 1844 |
| Romulus M. Saunders | Democratic | North Carolina | 1844 – 1845 |
| George O. Rathbun | Democratic | New York | 1845 – 1847 |
| Joseph R. Ingersoll | Whig | Pennsylvania | 1847 – 1849 |
| James Thompson | Democratic | Pennsylvania | 1849 – 1851 |
| James X. McLanahan | Democratic | Pennsylvania | 1851 – 1853 |
| Frederick P. Stanton | Democratic | Tennessee | 1853 – 1855 |
| George A. Simmons | Whig & Republican | New York | 1855 – 1857 |
| George S. Houston | Democratic | Alabama | 1857 – 1859 |
| John Hickman | Republican | Pennsylvania | 1859 – 1863 |
| James F. Wilson | Republican | Iowa | 1863 – 1869 |
| John A. Bingham | Republican | Ohio | 1869 – 1873 |
| Benjamin F. Butler | Republican | Massachusetts | 1873 – 1875 |
| James P. Knott | Democratic | Kentucky | 1875 – 1881 |
| Thomas Brackett Reed | Republican | Maine | 1881 – 1883 |
| John R. Tucker | Democratic | Virginia | 1883 – 1887 |
| David B. Culberson | Democratic | Texas | 1887 – 1889 |
| Ezra B. Taylor | Republican | Ohio | 1889 – 1891 |
| David B. Culberson | Democratic | Texas | 1891 – 1895 |
| David B. Henderson | Republican | Iowa | 1895 – 1899 |
| George W. Ray | Republican | New York | 1899 – 1903 |
| John J. Jenkins | Republican | Wisconsin | 1903 – 1909 |
| Richard W. Parker | Republican | New Jersey | 1909 – 1911 |
| Henry De Lamar Clayton | Democratic | Alabama | 1911 – 1914 |
| Edwin Y. Webb | Democratic | North Carolina | 1914 – 1919 |
| Andrew J. Volstead | Republican | Minnesota | 1919 – 1923 |
| George S. Graham | Republican | Pennsylvania | 1923 – 1931 |
| Hatton W. Sumners | Democratic | Texas | 1931 – 1947 |
| Earl C. Michener | Republican | Michigan | 1947 – 1949 |
| Emanuel Celler | Democratic | New York | 1949 – 1953 |
| Chauncey W. Reed | Republican | Illinois | 1953 – 1955 |
| Emanuel Celler | Democratic | New York | 1955 – 1973 |
| Peter W. Rodino Jr. | Democratic | New Jersey | 1973 – 1989 |
| Jack Brooks | Democratic | Texas | 1989 – 1995 |
| Henry Hyde | Republican | Illinois | 1995 – 2001 |
| Jim Sensenbrenner | Republican | Wisconsin | 2001 – 2007 |
| John Conyers | Democratic | Michigan | 2007 – 2011 |
| Lamar Smith | Republican | Texas | 2011 – 2013 |
| Bob Goodlatte | Republican | Virginia | 2013 – 2019 |
| Jerrold Nadler | Democratic | New York | 2019 – 2023 |
| Jim Jordan | Republican | Ohio | 2023 – present |
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116th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
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
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking 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
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Sources: H.Res. 6 (Chair), H.Res. 45 (D), H.Res. 51 (R) and H.Res. 95 (D)
114th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Sources:
112th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
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Sources:
111th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
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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.
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- The Use and Misuse of Presidential Clemency Power for Executive Branch Officials (hearing) (2007)
- Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2009, HR 569 (111th Congress) (2009). Congress holds a hearing to consider granting members of the U.S. Armed Forces access to the Supreme Court of the United States.
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