News

Washington, D.C. - Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus Congressman Brian Bilbray, Congressman Trent Franks and the Ranking Member on the Committee on the Judiciary Lamar Smith have filed an Amicus Curiae, or Friend of the Court Brief, with the United States District Court in Arizona in regards to the Obama Administration's lawsuit US v. Arizona. The brief supports Arizona and was filed on behalf of the bipartisan Immigration Reform Caucus, 76 Members of the House of Representatives and five U.S. Senators. The brief explains how the Obama Administration's claim that Arizona's law, SB 1070, preempts federal immigration law is without merit.

Washington, DC - The House of Representatives today voted to pass two bipartisan bills, both co-sponsored by Ranking Member Lamar Smith (TX-21), that will ease the immigration process in international adoption cases.

The first, H.R. 5532, the International Adoption Harmonization Act of 2010, extends the amount of time that adoptive parents have to complete immigration paperwork.  Under current law, U.S. citizens can adopt foreign children and have the children considered immediate relatives for immigration purposes if the children are “adopted while under the age of sixteen years.”  H.R. 5532 extends the timeline to the age of 18.

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today issued the following statement in response to Democrats’ release of Committee testimony by Judge Jay Bybee.

Ranking Member Smith: “I appreciate Judge Bybee’s thorough effort to be truthful and forthcoming in answering all questions presented by the Judiciary Committee. Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress would rather criticize Bush administration policies that kept America safe than prevent future terrorist attacks. 

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today criticized the decision by a federal district court judge in Boston to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  In 1996, the DOMA was passed with bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton.

Washington, DC - In a letter to Attorney General Holder, Ranking Member Lamar Smith and 19 other Members of Congress criticized the Obama administration’s decision to challenge Arizona’s 2010 immigration enforcement law, SB1070. 

Ranking Member Smith: “An Obama administration lawsuit against the people of the state of Arizona reflects the height of irresponsibility and arrogance.  A suit by the Administration insults the views of 60 percent of the American people who support this needed law.”

Washington, DC - Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.  The Justices ruled 5-4 in McDonald v. Chicago that the right to “keep and bear arms” was intended by the founders to be an individual right, not merely the right of a militia.  The Court found that it is unconstitutional to restrict the rights of American citizens to the point where those rights become non-existent or are rendered ineffective.  Two years ago, the Supreme Court issued a similar opinion for the residents of the District of Columbia in D.C. v.

Washington, DC - Fourteen members of Congress sent a letter today to Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions asking him to question Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan about her role in the Obama administration’s decision to ask the Court to overturn a 2007 Arizona immigration enforcement law. 

Washington, D.C.-House Judiciary Committee Democrats today opposed a Resolution of Inquiry demanding information regarding the job offers made by Administration officials to Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) and Colorado senatorial candidate Andrew Romanoff. 

The resolution was introduced last week by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner in response to the Administration’s refusal to provide the requested documents. Specifically, Smith and Sensenbrenner wanted to know if DOJ was consulted about the legal issues surrounding these offers before or after the offers were made.