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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, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement entities. The Judiciary Committee is also the committee responsible for impeachments of federal officials. Because of the legal nature of its oversight, committee members usually have a legal background, but this is not required.
Contents
- History
- Predecessor committees
- 115th Congress
- Antitrust Task Force 108th Congress
- Antitrust Task Force 110th Congress
- Judicial Impeachment 110th and 111th Congresses
- Projects
- Hearings
- References
In the 115th Congress, the chairman of the committee is Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, and the ranking minority member is Democrat John Conyers of Michigan. In prior years, Lamar S. Smith of Texas was the chairman, and prior to that John Conyers served as chairman.
History
The committee was created on June 6, 1813 for the purpose of considering legislation related to the judicial system. This committee approved articles of impeachment against Presidents in three instances: the impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868), the impeachment process against Richard Nixon (1974), and the impeachment of Bill Clinton (1998).
Predecessor committees
115th Congress
Sources: H
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, and conducted hearings and investigations into consolidation of the Bell Telephone Companies.
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. 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. 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); Ranking member: Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Established in September 2008, the Judicial Task force on Judicial Impeachment was to look into charges against District Judge Thomas Porteous. The investigation was not completed by the end of the 110th Congress, and it was reestablished after the 111th Congress convened in January 2009. The responsibilities of the Task Force were expanded to include the case of Judge Samuel B. Kent, leading to hearings and his subsequent impeachment by the full House of Representatives. The Task force finally voted to impeach Porteous on January 21, 2010.