Another influential House Democrat is stepping down from committee leadership after facing a competitive challenge from a younger member.
Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, announced his decision to not seek another term as the influential committee’s top Democrat in a letter to his Democratic colleagues released Wednesday.
“I am also proud that, under my leadership, some of our caucus’s most talented rising stars have been given a platform to demonstrate their leadership and their abilities. That includes Jamie Raskin, who in just a few terms in Congress has already proven himself to be an exceptional leader and spokesperson for our party’s values,” Nadler wrote in a letter to his Democratic colleagues. “As our country faces the return of Donald Trump, and the renewed threats to our democracy and our way of life that he represents, I am very confident that Jamie would ably lead the Judiciary Committee as we confront this growing danger.”
Jerry Nadler is an extraordinary lawyer, patriot and public servant. His dogged defense of civil rights and civil liberties is a great inspiration to our people. I am honored and humbled to have his support in the battles ahead. https://t.co/qsdKK172Kc
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) December 4, 2024
The House Judiciary Committee is responsible for conducting oversight on the courts and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Under Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s leadership, GOP lawmakers have used the committee to investigate the Biden DOJ’s prosecutions of President-elect Trump and have demanded that special counsel Jack Smith preserve all records related to the federal prosecutions against Trump.
Raskin, a vocal critic of Trump, previously served as the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee where he led House Democrats’ defense of Hunter Biden during Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer’s investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings.
Raskin also served as the lead impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment following January 6th.
“The MAGA movement has not only a trifecta but a complicit Supreme Court waiting in the wings and a dominant media propaganda system parroting all the lies,” Raskin wrote in a letter to Democratic colleagues announcing his bid to replace Nadler on Monday. “In the 119th Congress, the Judiciary Committee will be the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism and MAGA’s campaign to dismantle our Constitutional system and the rule of law as we know it.”
Nadler’s decision to resign from committee leadership after being challenged by Raskin comes after several long-time Democratic lawmakers who occupy top committee spots, including Democratic Georgia Rep. David Scott, are facing contests from younger lawmakers in what appears to be a generational change of leadership among House Democrats. Republican lawmakers, unlike House Democrats, have imposed a three-term limit on holding committee gavels.
Several Democratic lawmakers, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are reportedly expected to run for the top Democratic position on the House Oversight Committee following Raskin’s exit. Democratic Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly is the only lawmaker to enter the race to replace Raskin so far.
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