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Washington, D.C. - In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) questioned a proposed policy to allow the Justice Department, in limited instances, to deny the existence of records when in fact those records do exist. Chairman Smith expressed concern that the proposal appears to authorize the Justice Department to “lie in response to certain Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.”
Washington, D.C. - The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against South Carolina over a recently-passed state law seeking to help enforce immigration laws. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the statement below criticizing the administration’s decision.
Washington, D.C. - The House Judiciary Committee today passed a bill to restore accountability to government regulations. Sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Congressman Geoff Davis (R-Ky.), the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 10) requires Congress to take an up-or-down vote on government regulations before they can be enforced on the American people and businesses.
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the statement below following the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement of their Fiscal Year 2011 removal numbers.
Washington, D.C. - The Justice Department today asked an appeals court to block the enforcement of Alabama’s immigration law. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the statement below criticizing the administration’s decision.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke at American University regarding the Obama administration’s record on immigration enforcement and border security. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the following statement in response to Secretary Napolitano’s comments.
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate whether comments made by Attorney General Eric Holder during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in May 2011 were truthful. In a letter to President Obama, Chairman Smith expressed concern that Members of Congress may have been misled by the Attorney General’s response to a question regarding his knowledge of the Fast and Furious program.
Washington, D.C. -House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today applauded the signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Japan. Started in 2006 under the Bush administration, the agreement brings together countries to establish an effective international framework to combat global counterfeiting and piracy and better protect intellectual property. The negotiating countries include: Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States of America.
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) issued the following statement today in response to a media report that the Obama administration plans to challenge several state immigration enforcement laws. To date, the Obama administration has sued Arizona and Alabama for their state laws seeking to enforce federal immigration laws.
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder regarding recent resignations and reassignments at ATF following public concerns regarding a Phoenix-based program known as “Fast and Furious,” which intentionally allowed straw buyers for criminal organizations to purchase thousands of guns and traffic them across the U.S.-Mexico border.