The House Judiciary Committee was established in 1813 to handle legal matters in the United States Congress. It has jurisdiction over proposed amendments to the Constitution, impeachments, and crime and national security issues. Members are selected based on political affiliation and legal background. The committee has five subcommittees and oversees departments within the executive branch. It has been involved in landmark legislation such as the PATRIOT Act and the Patent Reform Act of 2007.
In 1813, in response to a growing caseload and pending legislation relating to prosecution in United States courts, the United States House of Representatives established a standing committee it called the House Committee on the Judiciary. The House Judiciary Committee, as it is more commonly known, has a wide range of responsibilities, including proposed amendments to the United States Constitution, impeachments of federal officials, and crime and national security matters. In addition, any proposed law involving civil or criminal penalties may be referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee are drawn from the House of Representatives, with a majority of members of the same party controlling the House. The selection process is political, with the Speaker of the House having the final say, but the wishes of members are generally considered whenever possible. However, as the committee’s work often deals with strictly legal matters, representatives with a legal background are more likely to be selected than others.
The House Judiciary Committee is one of the most visible committees in the United States Congress, frequently holding hearings on dramatic issues of the day. For example, it was the House Judiciary Committee that drafted articles of impeachment against Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton and had approved three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon when he resigned from office in 1974. The House Judiciary Committee he also held hearings on President Gerald Ford’s pardon of Nixon later that year.
There are five subcommittees of the House Judiciary Committee, covering areas such as the Constitution, immigration, the justice system, crime and terrorism, and the Internet, as well as laws related to intellectual property, including patents and copyrights. The committee’s efforts during the early years of the 21st century culminated in the Patent Reform Act of 2007, which was the first major overhaul and reform of the nation’s patent system in more than 50 years.
The competence of the commission is not established by the Constitution, which in fact is silent on the question of legislative commissions, but by the House itself, according to the mandate of the Constitution that each House of Congress establish its own rules. The committee’s jurisdiction has grown in the years since its inception, and it has been instrumental in enacting landmark legislation, including areas as diverse as antitrust law, bankruptcy, civil liberties, and presidential succession. It was the House Judiciary Committee that did most of the House work in creating and passing the PATRIOT Act in 2001.
In addition, like many other congressional committees in both the House and Senate, it has oversight responsibilities for departments within the executive branch, especially the Justice and Homeland Security departments. These responsibilities include reviewing departmental activities and budget requests, but not approving chairman selections for secretaries and their principal assistants; this task reserved to the Senate.
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