CONYERS, JACKSON LEE Laud Additional Presidential Commutations

Conyers & Jackson Lee: Congress Must Pass Sentencing Reform

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) released the following statements after the White House announced the commutation of the sentences of 98 individuals this week:

  

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“President Obama continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing unfairness in our criminal justice system by commuting the sentences of 98 additional federal prisoners,” said Ranking Member Conyers.  “It takes strong leadership to address this issue, and I’m proud to have a President that supports commutations for sentences that are too lengthy and which no longer serve a legitimate purpose related to public safety.  I hope the President’s resolve on this issue will serve as an example to legislators in Congress and across the country as our nation works to reform our criminal justice system.  I remain optimistic that, before the end of this year, Congress will pass sentencing reform legislation and other criminal justice reform bills that I have worked on with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.” 

“I applaud President Obama’s commutation of sentences of 98 individuals – who were all victims of unjust sentencing,” said Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Jackson Lee.  “Nearly all of these men and women would have been released and contributing back to society already had they been convicted under today’s laws or reform proposals. I welcome and applaud the commutations of the sentences of these individuals.  Incarcerating people for unwarranted lengths of time serves no constructive purpose.  The President has recognized this, as has Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and I am pleased that the Administration’s Clemency Project continues to address the multitude of cases in which sentence reductions are appropriate.  Of course, the need to engage in such a broad review of sentences exists largely because our sentencing laws and policies, particularly for drug offenses, urgently need to be changed.  We need to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing and let judges impose appropriate sentences based on the facts and circumstances of each case, and we should eliminate the higher penalties for crack cocaine relative to powder cocaine offenses.  I am heartened that there is a growing, bipartisan recognition of the problem of over incarceration and I hope this will lead to sentencing reform this Congress.”

Congressman Conyers and Congresswoman Jackson Lee are cosponsors of the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015, which is the first bill that is a result of the House Judiciary Committee’s criminal justice reform initiative.  The Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 reduces certain mandatory minimums for drug offenses, reduces the three-strike mandatory life sentence to 25 years, broadens the existing safety valve for low-level drug offenders, and provides judges with greater discretion in determining appropriate sentences.  

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President Obama endorses John Conyers for re-election

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has lent his support to U.S. Rep. John Conyers in the Aug. 2 primary,  endorsing the 87-year-old Detroit Democrat in what would be his 27th two-year term in Congress.

Conyers' campaign announced the endorsement this morning.

"Congressman John Conyers has been a champion for jobs, justice, and peace over his career in Congress and I am proud to endorse him for re-election," said a statement from Obama. "I need John by my side as we fight to create good jobs and build an economy that works for everyone."

Obama — who will leave office in January shortly after Conyers would be sworn in for another term if he wins — gave Conyers his endorsement over Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, Conyers' only rival in the August Democratic primary. Michigan's 13th Congressional District, which includes much of Detroit as well as parts of Downriver and western Wayne County, is considered a virtual lock for a Democratic nominee to hold onto.

"I am so grateful to President Obama for his tireless work to improve the lives of hardworking families in metro Detroit and all over this country," said Conyers. "His support of me and my re-election campaign means so much at this critical time for our country. I am looking forward to building on this to win in August, then generating unprecedented voter turnout this November to help elect Democrats up and down the ticket."

http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2016/06/22/president-obama-endorses-john-conyers-re-election/86222476/

Conyers, an early supporter of Obama's when the latter became a presidential candidate, hasn't always agreed with Obama. In 2009, Conyers criticized the new president on a couple of occasions, in one case accusing him of not showing enough leadership on health care and suggested he had been "bowing down to every nutty right wing proposal" during the debate over what would become the Affordable Care Act.

"I'm getting tired of saving Obama's can in the White House," Conyers said on one radio show at the time.

Conyers, a civil rights icon who helped found the Congressional Black Caucus, is a former chairman of of the House Judiciary Committee and remains its top ranking Democrat. He became the longest-serving active member of Congress in 2015, when former U.S. Rep. John Dingell — a Dearborn Democrat whom Conyers once worked for — retired.

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Conyers and Cohen Urge Senate to Hold a Vote on SCOTUS Nominee Merrick Garland

WASHINGTON – Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-TN) released the following statement after President Obama announced D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Merrick Garland as nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Fulfilling his constitutional duty to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, President Obama has nominated Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court.  The Senate should now fulfill its responsibility by giving its full and fair consideration to the President’s nomination.

“Judge Garland is an eminently seasoned jurist who has all the qualities that make him an upstanding nominee for the Supreme Court.  His unquestioned intellect, long judicial experience, and even temperament are widely admired and respected.  His deep respect for and fidelity to the Constitution and the law and his sensitivity to the impact of the law on ordinary people make him an optimal choice.

“Leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court for a prolonged period would be irresponsible. Such a prolonged vacancy would impair the Supreme Court’s ability to fulfill its role and leave many critical constitutional and legal questions subject to only lower-level court review.

“The American people twice elected President Obama to fulfill the duties of the presidency, including the duty to nominate Supreme Court justices.  President Obama has fulfilled that duty, and now it is incumbent upon the Senate to give Judge Garland a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote. It is what the American people deserve and expect of their elected officials.”

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CONYERS Greets POTUS in Detroit

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan with U.S. Representative John Conyers as he greets U.S. President Barack Obama as he disembarks Air Force One  for the 2016 NAIAS

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan with U.S. Representative John Conyers as he greets U.S. President Barack Obama as he disembarks Air Force One  for the 2016 NAIAS

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Congressional Black Caucus Letter To POTUS on Flint Water Crisis

CBC Letter to President Obama on Flint Michigan Water Issue by Beverly Tran

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CONYERS: Share your thoughts on what I should encourage POTUS to focus on in his last year

Prior to tuning into President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address tonight, please join me for a live tele-townhall meeting at 6:30 PM by dialing 1-877-353-4701.

Join the town hall meeting to share your thoughts on what I should encourage President Obama to focus on in his last year that will best help the people of Detroit and Southeast Michigan. ‪#‎SOTU‬

2016 State of the Union

Tune in for President Obama's final State of the Union address on January 12, 2016 at 9PM ET

I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the more than 9,000 of my constituents that joined the
tele-townhall tonight to discuss issues impacting our community.

Over President Obama's last year, I will make sure your voice is heard.

If I didn't get to your question, please feel free to contact me at conyers.house.gov and I will make sure you hear from me. ‪#‎SOTU‬

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Conyers and Jackson Lee Praise President Obama’s Executive Actions to Reduce Gun Violence and Make Our Communities Safer

WASHINGTON – The Administration has released a description of the Executive Actions President Obama will be taking to help reduce gun violence in America. Included in these initiatives are steps toexpand and improve the conduct of background checks for prospective firearms purchasers, provide more resources for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), strengthen investigation and prosecution of gun crimes, require the reporting of firearms lost or stolen in transit, increase funding for mental health treatment, and study the development and use of technology to increase firearms safety. 

Praising the President’s bold action to curb gun violence, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), which has jurisdiction over firearms issues, released the following statement:

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“We commend the President for announcing that he will use his executive power to implement significant new initiatives that will make our citizens safer from gun violence.  These actions are not only appropriate they are lawfully within the Administration’s executive authority.  While this Congress has refused to act on this issue, the facts and the law demand action.  On average, 31 people are murdered with guns every day in America and more than 32,000 people die from gun violence in this country every year.  We cannot simply continue to stand by and do nothing, and that is why the President’s actions are so critically important.  Now it is time for Congress to step up to the plate to do even more by passing sensible measures to reduce gun violence.” 

The House Committee on the Judiciary has jurisdiction over jurisdiction over protecting constitutional freedoms and civil liberties, oversight of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, legal and regulatory reform, innovation, competition and anti-trust laws, terrorism and crime, and immigration policy.

NOW IS THE TIME WH.GOV/NOW-IS-THE-TIME JANUARY SIXTEENTH TWO THOUSAND AND THIRTEEN GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION E... by Beverly Tran

Click HERE for more information on President’s Obama’s executive actions to curb gun violence.

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