Judiciary
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today spoke in support of passage for H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The historic measure, named for the late champion of civil rights, Georgia Congressman John Lewis, will protect voting rights by restoring important provisions of the Civil Rights Act that have been steadily eroded by U.S. Supreme Court rulings and restrictive state voter suppression laws.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today voted for a rule that advances major elements of the Biden-Harris "Build Back Better" infrastructure plan. The rule also set annual budget targets for 2022 through 2031 and sends the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to the floor for a vote later today.
The vote on the rule was 220 to 212.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a virtual hearing on "Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: Potential Legislative Reforms." The hearing was the sixth on the subject of voting rights this year and comes a day before H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, is expected to be introduced in the House.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today asked the White House to extend the national eviction moratorium that ended Saturday and threatens and put 11.4 million people at risk of homelessness during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Congressman Cohen re-introduced the Emergency Eviction Enforcement Act in March to protect vulnerable tenants from evictions during a national emergency or public health crisis.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), who was in the House Chamber Gallery when the rioters invaded the U.S. Capitol on January 6, fully supports the efforts of the Select Committee looking into the attack.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today applauded the decision by the Department of Justice that the IRS must release President Donald Trump's income tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee after finding it had a legitimate legislative purpose in requesting them.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a hearing on "The Need to Enhance the Voting Rights Act: Practice-Based Coverage." The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would address the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling gutting preclearance rules that had required the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to review and approve changes to state laws affecting such issues as ID requirements and redistricting that could have a discriminatory effect.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today voted to advance the Eliminating the Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act to from the Committee to a House floor vote. The bipartisan sentencing reform measure would finally end the disparity between crack and powder cocaine offences.
In remarks before the vote, Congressman Cohen said in part:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today expressed his support for the Biden Administration's gun violence strategy and its work with Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis. Davis was among several municipal officials who met with Biden at the White House on Monday to discuss use of $350 million in American Rescue Plan funding dedicated to implementing proven violence-prevention policies.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement: