Member Spotlight: Rep. John Ratcliffe

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte welcomed five new Republican members to the House Judiciary Committee for the 114th Congress. We will profile each new member in a five-part series.

Biography

John Ratcliffe is the Congressman representing the Fourth District of Texas. He is a limited government conservative with a well-established record of defending the Constitution and balancing budgets without raising taxes.

He believes the strength of ourcountry comes from the liberty and ingenuity of the American people, not the stifling overreach of the Federal Government.

Rep. Ratcliffe was raised by hard working middle-class parents, both teachers. The youngest of six children, he earned a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated in three years. While attending SMU Law School, he met his wife Michele with whom he has been happily married for 23 years. The couple has two daughters, and the family has lived in Heath, Texas for the past 17 years.

As U.S. Attorney, Rep. Ratcliffe was the top federal law enforcement officer for a 33,000 square mile area of North and East Texas – including almost all of the 4th Congressional District. In addition to earning national acclaim for his efforts to combat terrorism, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, public corruption and Internet child predators, he also successfully operated and managed a $12 million budget allocated to him by the U.S. Department of Justice.

During the George W. Bush Administration, Rep. Ratcliffe was appointed to multiple posts, including U.S. Attorney (2007-2008) and Chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas (2004-2007). During his tenure, Rep. Ratcliffe personally managed dozens of international and domestic terrorism investigations involving some of the nation’s most sensitive security matters. He played an integral role in formulating the DOJ’s terrorism strategies as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Terrorism and National Security. Recognizing his abilities as a pervious U.S. Attorney and his efforts to combat terrorism, he serves on the House Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees and as the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies Subcommittee Chairman.

In addition to combating terrorism, Rep. Ratcliffe led a national operation, which resulted in the single day arrest of more than 300 illegal aliens. On April 16, 2008, “Operation Plymouth Rock” led to the successful prosecution of hundreds of illegal aliens who committed identity theft and social security fraud to unlawfully gain employment. As the result of John’s efforts, the company, which hired the illegal aliens, paid a $4.5 million criminal penalty. When Rep. Ratcliffe's cybercrimes work led to the conviction of a Nacogdoches sheriff’s deputy for child sex crimes, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott publicly declared, “We are grateful to U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe for his dedication to Texas children.”

On the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Ratcliffe serves on the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, and Commercial and Antitrust Law.

Rep. John Ratcliffe: “Serving on the Judiciary Committee allows me to tackle issues that impact Americans every day. The Judiciary Committee serves as a guardian of the Constitution, and these days it needs even more defending than ever due to the President’s continued lawlessness.  My experiences as a U.S. Attorney gives me valuable subject matter expertise in the policy areas that this committee oversees such as protecting unborn life, defending religious freedoms, preserving the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, just to name a few. Through the Judiciary Committee I hope to continue to fight to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses and individuals.”

To learn more about Rep. Ratcliffe's work on the House Judiciary Committee and in Congress, follow him on Twitter and "like" his Facebook page.