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Democrats have already started competing for what will be one of the most sought-after slots in Congress next year: a seat on the House Judiciary Committee. And if Donald Trump wins the presidency, the Oversight Committee could become just as popular.
While the Judiciary panel is always a prize assignment for both parties, Democrats are eager to join it in part because of their electoral outlook; their party could easily retake the House this fall but lose control of the Senate. If the House is Democrats’ congressional power base next year, the Judiciary Committee would become a forum for President Kamala Harris’ highest priorities — or the starting point of any impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Several younger lawmakers are looking to join in. Reps. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. and Summer Lee, D-Pa. have all expressed interest in joining the Judiciary Committee, Semafor has learned.
All of the Judiciary contenders except Kamlager-Dove currently sit on the House Oversight Committee, which gives its own spotlight to members of Congress who want to take on alleged misuse of government resources by the opposition. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other progressives on the “Squad” turned their Oversight seats into vehicles for stardom during Trump’s first term; if the former president wins again, that committee could become just as popular a request as Judiciary.
“Don’t you think Dems would want to be on Oversight more in a Trump presidency?” one senior Democratic aide quipped to Semafor.
Both Crockett and Goldman are lawyers — she a public defender turned national co-chair for Harris’ campaign, and he a former prosecutor who worked on Trump’s first impeachment. They’ve had their share of news-making moments in hearings during the Biden administration; Crockett’s viral rejoinder to “bleach blonde, butch body” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. was enough of a sensation to inspire clapback-themed gear.
Frost came to Congress with a background in progressive organizing and has embraced his identity as the first Generation Z lawmaker. Lee served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, and Kamlager-Dove served as a California state legislator, focusing on incarceration issues.
None of the Democratic Judiciary hopefuls responded to requests for comment.
Know More
There will be more openings on the Judiciary Committee if Democrats take back the House next month, but even if Republicans score a clean sweep on Election Day, there will likely still be spots to claim. Two current Democratic Judiciary members are leaving the House next year: California Rep. Adam Schiff is on track to ascend to the Senate, while Missouri Rep. Cori Bush lost to a Democratic primary challenger.
Their replacements, and any new committee members, are chosen by a group known as the Steering Committee that’s aligned with party leaders. That group’s decisions on where lawmakers sit in the House are often influenced by heavy internal lobbying. Both parties usually want to maintain geographical diversity on committees; newly elected members are often given priority, especially if they’re from battleground areas.
The Judiciary panel also has jurisdiction over immigration, as well as the Supreme Court and some consumer-focused antitrust issues that became prominent during the pandemic.
In the event of a Trump win and a House Democratic majority next year, impeachments — whether of the president or Cabinet officials — would also inevitably get discussed on the committee.