John Conyers, Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 4, 1965–
Preceded by	Dennis Hertel
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	May 16, 1929 (1929-05-16) (age 78) Highland Park, Michigan
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Monica Conyers
Religion	Baptist

John Conyers, Jr. (born May 16, 1929) is a U.S. Congressman representing Michigan's 14th congressional district, which includes all of Highland Park and Hamtramck, as well as parts of Detroit and Dearborn. A Democrat, he has served since 1965 (the district was numbered as the 1st District until 1993). In January 2007, Conyers became chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in the 110th United States Congress. Download high resolution version (480x602, 37 KB)John Conyers source: http://www. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... United States House of Representatives, Michigan District 14is a district in Wayne County, Michigan, encompassing the northwest side of Detroit, the suburbs located immediately west of the city, the downriver suburbs adjacent to the Detroit River and the enclaves of Highland Park and Hamtramck. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Dennis Mark Hertel is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Highland Park is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... United States House of Representatives, Michigan District 14is a district in Wayne County, Michigan, encompassing the northwest side of Detroit, the suburbs located immediately west of the city, the downriver suburbs adjacent to the Detroit River and the enclaves of Highland Park and Hamtramck. ... Highland Park is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan. ... Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Location in Michigan Coordinates: , Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County Government  - Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, or (more commonly) the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... United States Capitol (2002) // The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprised of the Senate and the House of Representatives. ...

Biographical information

Conyers served in the Michigan National Guard 1948-50; US Army 1950-54; and the US Army Reserves 1954-57. Conyers served for a year in Korea as an officer in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and was awarded combat and merit citations. ^[1].

Conyers grew up in Detroit, and received both his B.A. and his J.D. from Wayne State University. He served as an assistant to Congressman John Dingell prior to his election to Congress. He has been reelected 20 times, never facing serious opposition. He is the second-longest serving current member of the House, as well as the second-longest serving member of either house of Congress in Michigan's history. Only Dingell outranks him on both lists. He is the last surviving member of the Democrats' large freshman class of 1964. A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... J.D. redirects here; for alternate uses, see J.D. (disambiguation) J.D. is an abbreviation for the Latin Juris Doctor, also called a Doctor of Law or Doctorate of Jurisprudence, and is the law degree typically awarded by an accredited U.S. law school after successfully completing three years... Wayne State University (Detroit, MI 48202) is located in Detroit, Michigan, in the citys Midtown Cultural Center. ... Rep. ...

Conyers is one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is considered the Dean of that group. Formed in 1969, the CBC was founded to strengthen African-American lawmakers' ability to address the legislative concerns of Black and minority citizens. He has served longer in Congress than any other African-American. In 1971, he was one of the original members of Nixon's Enemies List. The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing African American members of the Congress of the United States. ... Nixons enemies list was compiled by Charles Colson and sent to John Dean Nixons Enemies List is the informal name of what started as a list of President Richard Nixons major political opponents compiled by Charles Colson, written by George T. Bell [1] (assistant to Colson, special...

According to the National Journal, Conyers has been considered, with Pete Stark, to be one of the most liberal members of Congress for many years. Civil rights icon Rosa Parks served on Conyers' staff between 1965 and 1988. National Journal is a weekly magazine about American politics and government, published by National Journal Group, Inc. ... Stark delivers his response to President George W. Bushs 2005 State of the Union address. ... This article discusses the history and development of various notions of liberalism in the United States. ... Martin Luther King is perhaps most famous for his I Have a Dream speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom This article is about the civil rights movement following the Brown v. ... Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist and seamstress whom the U.S. Congress dubbed the Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement. Parks is famous for her refusal on December 1, 1955 to obey bus driver James Blake...

Conyers is known as one of the supporters of the drive to regulate online gambling. He has likened the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, hidden within the SAFE Port Act, to Prohibition. The Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006 (or SAFE Port Act, Pub. ...

He appeared in Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 discussing the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, stating that members of Congress "don't read most of the bills". Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American political-activist, a film director, author, social commentator, and political humorist. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... Fahrenheit 9/11 is an award-winning documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore, which had a general release in the United States and Canada on June 25, 2004. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly...

Conyers frequently posts at Daily Kos and Democratic Underground. Since May 2005, he's been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post and his own blog. Daily Kos (IPA: ) is an American political blog, disseminating news and opinion from a largely liberal, progressive point-of-view. ... This article may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Logo of Huffington Post The Huffington Post (often referred to on the Internet as HuffPo) is a politically-progressive online news website and aggregated weblog founded by Arianna Huffington and Kenneth Lerer, featuring hyperlinks to various news sources and columnists. ...

Political Information

Ethics controversy

In letters sent separately to the House Ethics Committee, the FBI, and the US Attorney's office by two former aides of Conyers, they alleged that Conyers repeatedly violated House ethics rules. The aides allege that Conyers used his staff to work on several local and state campaigns and forced them to baby-sit and chauffeur his children [1]. In late December 2006, Conyers "accepted responsibility" for possibly violating House rules. A statement issued December 29, 2006 by the House Ethics Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Ranking Minority Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.), said that Conyers acknowledged what he characterized as a "lack of clarity" in his communications with staff members regarding their official duties and responsibilities, and accepted responsibility for his actions. In deciding to drop the matter, Hastings and Berman state: After reviewing the information gathered during the inquiry, and in light of Representative Conyers’ cooperation with the inquiry, we have concluded that this matter should be resolved through the issuance of this public statement and the agreement by Representative Conyers to take a number of additional, significant steps to ensure that his office complies with all rules and standards regarding campaign and personal work by congressional staff. ^[2]. The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), serving as both a federal criminal investigative body and a domestic intelligence agency. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Fourth Congressional District of Washington Richard Norman Doc Hastings (born February 7, 1941), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the Fourth Congressional District of Washington. ... Howard Berman Howard Lawrence Berman (born April 15, 1941), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). ...

Downing Street memo

On May 5, 2005, Conyers and 88 other members of Congress wrote an open letter to the White House inquiring about the Downing street memo, a leaked memorandum that revealed an apparent secret agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom to attack Iraq in 2002. The Times reported that newly-discovered documents reveal British and U.S. intentions to invade Iraq and leaders of the two countries had "discussed creating pretextual justifications for doing so". The documents go on to say that Tony Blair decided the U.S. would need to "create" conditions to justify the war. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Downing Street memo The Downing Street memo (occasionally DSM), sometimes described by critics of the Iraq War as the smoking gun memo, contains an overview of a secret 23 July 2002 meeting among United Kingdom Labour government, defence and intelligence figures, discussing... The subject of this article is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom since 1785, and under its current name since 1788. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

The memo story broke in the United Kingdom, but has not received much coverage in the United States, prompting Conyers to lament: "This should not be allowed to fall down the memory hole during wall-to-wall coverage of the Michael Jackson trial and a runaway bride." Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... Jennifer Wilbanks Jennifer Carol Wilbanks, (a. ...

CNN picked up the story on May 12. Fox News had a story about two weeks later on June 1. The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ...

Conyers and others reportedly considering sending a congressional investigation delegation to London. ^[3]

What Went Wrong In Ohio

In May, 2005, Conyers released What Went Wrong In Ohio: The Conyers Report On The 2004 Presidential Election, which discusses the voting irregularities in the state of Ohio during the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election. The evidence offered of wrongdoing consists of statistical abnormalities in the differences between exit poll results and actual votes registered at those locations. The book also discusses reports of faulty electronic voting machines and the lack of credibility of those machines used to tally votes. Concerns were raised, following the 2004 election, on various aspects of the voting process: whether voting had been made accessible to everyone entitled to vote, whether the votes cast had been correctly counted, and whether these irregularities decisively affected the reported outcome of the election. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... An exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. ... Electronic voting machine by Diebold Election Systems used in all Brazilian elections and plebiscites. ...

He was one of the 31 who voted in the House to NOT count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004. [2] The United States Electoral College is the electoral college which chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Presidential election results map. ...

The Constitution in Crisis

On August 4th, 2006, Conyers released the final draft of his report The Constitution in Crisis: The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retributions and Cover-ups in the Iraq War, an edited collection of information intending to serve as evidence that the Bush Administration altered intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq. The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bushs Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. ...

The Constitution in Crisis examines much of the evidence presented by the Bush Administration prior to the invasion and questions the credibility of their sources of intelligence. Additionally, the document investigates the conditions which led to the torture scandal in Abu Ghraib as well as further evidence of torture having been committed, but not made known to the public. Finally, the document reports on a series of 'smear tactics' purported to be used by the administration in dealing with its adversaries. Map of Iraq highlighting Abu Ghraib The city of Abu Ghraib (BGN/PCGN romanization: Abū Ghurayb; أبو غريب in Arabic) in Iraq is located 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of Baghdads city center, or some 15 km northwest of Baghdad International Airport. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he...

The document calls for the censure of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Censure is a process by which a formal reprimand is issued to an individual by an authoritative body. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Richard Bruce Dick Cheney (born January 30, 1941), is the 46th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President George W. Bush. ...

Ban bigotry against Islam

Conyers has proposed House Resolution 288, which condemns “religious intolerance” but emphasizes on Islam as needing special protection from acts of violence and intolerance. It states that “it should never be official policy of the United States Government to disparage the Quran, Islam, or any religion in any way, shape, or form,” and “calls upon local, State, and Federal authorities to work to prevent bias-motivated crimes and acts against all individuals, including those of the Islamic faith.” The bill was referred to the House subcommittee on the Constitution in June 2005, but Conyers, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, could revive it. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ...

Conyers v. Bush

See also Conyers v. Bush Conyers v. ...

In April 2006 Conyers, together with ten other senior congressmen, filed an action in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, challenging the constitutionality of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. In simple terms the complaint alleged the bill was not afforded due consideration by the United States Congress before being signed by the President^[4]. The action was subsequently dismissed on grounds of lack of standing^[5]. A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ... The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is the Federal district court with jurisdiction consisting of the eastern portion of the state of Michigan. ... The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Pub. ... A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a legislature that has not been ratified, adopted, or received assent. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives United States Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political groups (as of November 7, 2006 elections) Democratic Party Republican...

Trivia

• He was #13 on President Richard Nixon's enemies list during Nixon's 1969-1974 presidential tenure. The president's Chief Counsel described him as "coming on fast" and that he was "emerging" as a "black anti-Nixon spokesman" who also had a "weakness" for white women.
• Conyers is the last remaining member of the House Judiciary Committee who had voted on the Articles of Impeachment against Nixon in July 1974. Two other members then serving on the Committee are still serving in Congress: Representative Charles Rangel (Democrat of New York) and Senator Trent Lott (Republican of Mississippi).
• After Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in 1968, Rep. John Conyers introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday.
• On June 4, 2007, Fox News erroneously put John Conyers' picture on screen during a story about the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson. ^[6]
• The National Rifle Association – Political Victory Fund, an organization which strongly angles towards keeping gun ownership legal for private citizens, refers to Conyers as “an Anti-Gunner and a gun ban extremist.”

The presidential seal is a well-known symbol of the presidency. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Nixons enemies list was compiled by Charles Colson and sent to John Dean Nixons Enemies List is the informal name of what started as a list of President Richard Nixons major political opponents compiled by Charles Colson, written by George T. Bell [1] (assistant to Colson, special... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ... Charles Bernard Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (born June 11, American politician. ... Chester Trent Lott, Sr. ... Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ... William Jennings Jefferson (born March 14, 1947) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Louisiana. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikinews has news related to:

Representative Conyers raises impeachment issue

• U.S. Congressman John Conyers, Jr. official House site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission - John Conyers Jr. campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues - John Conyers issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - John Conyers Jr. campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Representative John Conyers Jr. (MI) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - John Conyers, Jr. profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: John Conyers voting record
• John Conyers Jr for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Global Family Day movement co-founded by John Conyers and Linda Grover
• Michigan Democratic Party
• Michigan Liberal's 14th Congressional District section

Articles Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all members of both houses of the United States Congress, past and present. ...

• Congressman John Conyers Talks About Bush Lying America Into War and His Campaign to Hold Bush Accountable: The Downing Street Memo and More (John Conyers interview), BuzzFlash (June 9, 2005)
• Bush asked to explain UK war memo CNN (May 12, 2005)
• Open letter to George W. Bush, re: Downing Street Memo (originally signed by 89 US Congress members), John Conyers, et al. (May 5, 2005)
• Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio: Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff (prepared at the request of Congressman John Conyers, January 5, 2005)
• The Constitution in Crisis; The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War (Investigative Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, December 2005)
• The Downing Street Memo John Conyers (May 27, 2005)
• It's time for Karl Rove to go: The president needs to ask for a special prosecutor in the Valerie Plame case Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Salon.com (October 15, 2003)
• A Motion for Censure Congressman John Conyers, Jr., The Nation (December 22, 2005)
• Q & A with Conyers Guernica Magazine