Committee InfoDescriptionHello representatives of the 111th Congress! Welcome to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary, or, as it is more commonly called, the House Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee, established in 1813, has far-reaching jurisdiction, and attends to matters involving courts and judges, administrative procedure, constitutional issues, civil rights and liberties, immigration, copyrights and patents, anti-trust laws, and the distribution of representatives. In addition, it is responsible for the preliminary stages of both impeachments of federal officials as well as judicial confirmations. The committee is currently chaired by Hon. Joyn Conyers Jr. of Michigan, with Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas serving as the ranking minority member. Recently, the Judiciary Committee has been involved with several key legislative issues. In November, the Committee passed the PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009, an act reauthorizing the Patriot Act while making key alterations to ensure the protection of American civil liberties. In July, the Committee voted on a bill to eliminate the distinction between crack and powder cocaine in sentencing. The committee is also currently conducting investigations into the injuries of NFL players as well as hearings on the impeachment of US District Judge Thomas Porteous regarding allegations of bribery and perjury. In the past, the committee has come into the spotlight for the consideration of presidential impeachment charges in 1968, 1974, and 1998 against Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. Among the committee’s past legislative accomplishments include the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 and the Child Sex Predator and DNA Rape Kit Laws. In 2008, the committee passed controversial resolutions finding Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten in congressional contempt for their refusal to comply with the committee subpoenas concerning the investigation into the controversy regarding the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys by the Bush Administration’s Department of Justice. In the past, the Judiciary Committee has been called the “lawyer” of the House of Representative’s due to its broad jurisdiction over the judiciary and matters of justice. The full committee enjoys jurisdiction over copyrights, patent and trademark law, information technology, and other matters. In addition, there are five subcommittees including the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy, the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law, and the Task Force on Judicial Impeachment. If you would like to learn more about the House Judiciary Committee, visit its website at http://www.judiciary.house.gov. To review past and recent acts of house legislation, visit the Library of Congress’ website at http://Thomas.loc.gov. ------- Hi everyone, my name is Maura Douglas, and I will be one of your chairs. I am a Junior in the College majoring in English Literature with Legal Studies, History and French minors. Originally from Cold Spring Harbor, NY, my high school did not have a model congress club, but I have been involved in model congress since my first year at Penn, and last year chaired the Ethics Committee. On campus, I am also a member of a Panhellenic sorority, Big Brothers Big Sisters, West Philadelphia Tutoring Project, and Alternate Spring Break. If you have any questions at all about the conference or bills, etc., please don't hesitate to contact me: mauraed@sas.upenn.edu. I am so excited to meet all of you, and I hope this is the best committee I have had yet! See you in 2010. Hi, my name is Lauren Lubetsky and I am a freshman in the College. I am intending to major in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a minor in Consumer Psychology. I am from Chappaqua, NY and attended the Hackley School. In high school, I participated in both Harvard and Princeton Model Congress. In my free time at Penn, I serve as a tour guide as well as a writer for the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn’s daily newspaper. I spent this past summer interning for the NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and wish to attend law school in the future. My hobbies include cooking, traveling, and rock climbing. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at Llubet@sas.upenn.edu with any questions involving bills, model congress, or even life at Penn. I look forward to meeting you in February! Chairs
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Account LoginConference DatesMarch 31 - April 3, 2011 RegistrationRegistration is now closed. InformationClick here for more details about PENNMC 2011! Check us out on Facebook!
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