Committee History | About | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary

<!DOCTYPE html>         <html lang="en" class="no-js">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history","20220418183314","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1650306794"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta property="twitter:account_id" content="704320143824953344"/> <title>Committee History | About | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary</title> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@senjudiciary"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Committee History | About | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/sharelogo.jpg"/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/sharelogo.jpg"/> <meta property="og:title" content="History | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary"/> <meta property="og:description" content="United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/favicon.ico" rel="Icon" type="image/x-icon"/> <link rel="Stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/web/20220418183314cs_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/styles/smoothDivScroll.css"/> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20220418183314cs_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/styles/bootstrap.min.css?cachebuster=1522411566"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314cs_/https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20220418183314cs_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/styles/common.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/web/20220418183314cs_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/styles/common.css?cachebuster=1646238183"> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/scripts/jquery.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/scripts/bootstrap.min.js"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/scripts/jquery.html5-placeholder-shim.js"></script>  </head> <body id="default" class="bg3 two-col ">  <a href="#main-nav" class="sr-only">Skip to primary navigation</a> <a class="sr-only" href="#skip-nav">Skip to content</a> <link rel="stylesheet" href="//web.archive.org/web/20220418183314cs_/https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.5.0/css/font-awesome.min.css"> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//web.archive.org/web/20220418183314cs_/https://fast.fonts.net/cssapi/b37acbd6-38b0-42f8-9003-29a8ca0b1e50.css"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//web.archive.org/web/20220418183314cs_/https://fast.fonts.net/cssapi/09a61f14-acb9-4db2-b073-2d9879061865.css"/> <div class="modal fade" id="NavMobileModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="NavMobileModal" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="modal-dialog modal-lg"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal"><span aria-hidden="true">×</span><span class="sr-only">Close</span></button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <ul class="nav nav-pills nav-stacked" id="main-nav"> <li class="no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings">Hearings</a> </li> <li class="no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/legislation">Legislation</a> </li> <li class="dropdown no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations">Nominations</a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/executive">Executive Nominations </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/judicial">Judicial Nominations </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/supreme-court">Supreme Court </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/confirmed/?keyword=Confirmed">Confirmed Nominations </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/library">Library</a> </li> <li class="dropdown multiple-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/majority">Press</a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/majority">Majority Press </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/minority-press">Minority Press </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/press-kit">Press Kit </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="selected dropdown no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about">About</a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/chair">The Chair </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/ranking">The Ranking Member </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members">Members </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/subcommittees">Subcommittees </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/jurisdiction">Committee Jurisdiction </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/rules">Committee Rules </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history">Committee History </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/faq">FAQ </a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="modal fade" id="SearchModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="SearchModal" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="modal-dialog modal-lg"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal"><span aria-hidden="true">×</span><span class="sr-only">Close</span></button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <div id="searchpopup"> <form aria-label="search" id="sitesearch" role="search" method="get" action="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/search" class="pull-right form-inline"> <input type="search" id="search-field" placeholder="Search"> <input type="hidden" id="search-q" name="q" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="access" value="p"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_dt" value="i"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_epq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_eq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_lq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_occt" value="any"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_oq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_q" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_sitesearch" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="client" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sntsp" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="filter" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="getfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="lr" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="num" value="15"/> <input type="hidden" name="numgm" value="3"/> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="UTF8"/> <input type="hidden" name="output" value="xml_no_dtd"/> <input type="hidden" name="partialfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="proxycustom" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="proxyreload" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="proxystylesheet" value="default_frontend"/> <input type="hidden" name="requiredfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sitesearch" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sort" value="date:D:S:d1"/> <input type="hidden" name="start" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="ud" value="1"/> <button aria-label="submit" type="submit"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search"></span></button> <div id="searchtogglesection"> <a class="searchtoggleadvanced" href="#search-sections-container" data-toggle="collapse"> Advanced Search <span id="cheviconone" class="fa fa-chevron-right"> </span> </a> <div id="search-sections-container" class="collapse"> <p>Please select which sections of the site you’d like to search:</p> <ul id="site-sections-list" class="list-unstyled"> <li class="checkbox"> <label><input type="checkbox" value="press/rep/releases"/>Majority Newsroom</label> </li> <li class="checkbox"> <label><input type="checkbox" value="press/dem/releases"/>Minority Newsroom</label> </li> <li class="checkbox"> <label><input type="checkbox" value="meetings"/>Hearings</label> </li> <li class="checkbox"> <label><input type="checkbox" value="nominations"/>Nominations</label> </li> <li class="checkbox"> <label><input type="checkbox" value="legislation"/>Legislation</label> </li> <li class="checkbox"> <label><input type="checkbox" value="download"/>Library</label> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <script> $('#search-sections-container').on('hide.bs.collapse', function () { $('#cheviconone').removeClass('fa-chevron-down'); $('#cheviconone').addClass('fa-chevron-right'); }); $('#search-sections-container').on('show.bs.collapse', function () { $('#cheviconone').addClass('fa-chevron-down'); $('#cheviconone').removeClass('fa-chevron-right'); }); $(document).ready(function(){ if ($(window).width() < 991) { $('#search-sections-container').removeClass('in'); $('#cheviconone').removeClass('hide'); }else { $('#search-sections-container').addClass('in'); $('#cheviconone').addClass('hide'); } }); </script> </form> <script> var search = { 'form': $('#SearchModal #sitesearch'), 'list': $('#site-sections-list'), 'field': $('#SearchModal #search-field'), 'advanced': $('#SearchModal input[name="as_sitesearch"]'), 'q': $('#SearchModal #search-q') }; search.form.submit(function(e) { var val = search.field.val(); var newVal = ''; if (val == '') { e.preventDefault(); } else { search.list.find('input:checked').each(function(index) { newVal += (index === 0) ? '' : 'OR'; newVal += '"' + location.hostname + '/' + this.value + '"'; }); search.q.val(val); search.advanced.val('url:(' + newVal + ')'); } }); $('#advanced-search-btn').click(function() { search.form.submit(); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="modal fade" id="FilterSearchModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="SearchModal" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="modal-dialog modal-lg"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal"><span aria-hidden="true">×</span><span class="sr-only">Close</span></button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <div id="searchpopup"> <form aria-label="search" id="sitesearch" role="search" method="get" action="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/search" class="form-inline"> <input type="search" id="search-field" placeholder="Search"> <input type="hidden" id="search-q" name="q" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="access" value="p"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_dt" value="i"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_epq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_eq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_lq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_occt" value="any"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_oq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_q" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_sitesearch" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="client" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sntsp" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="filter" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="getfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="lr" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="num" value="15"/> <input type="hidden" name="numgm" value="3"/> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="UTF8"/> <input type="hidden" name="output" value="xml_no_dtd"/> <input type="hidden" name="partialfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="proxycustom" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="proxyreload" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="proxystylesheet" value="default_frontend"/> <input type="hidden" name="requiredfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sitesearch" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sort" value="date:D:S:d1"/> <input type="hidden" name="start" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="ud" value="1"/> <button aria-label="submit" type="submit"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search"></span></button> </form> <div class="searchsection">You are currently searching within the <span class="page-title">History section</span>.</div> <script> var searchtwo = { 'form': $('#FilterSearchModal #sitesearch'), 'list': $('#site-sections-list'), 'field': $('#FilterSearchModal #search-field'), 'advanced': $('#FilterSearchModal input[name="as_sitesearch"]'), 'q': $('#FilterSearchModal #search-q') }; searchtwo.form.submit(function(e) { var val = searchtwo.field.val(); if (val == '') { e.preventDefault(); } else { var newVal = '"' + location.hostname + '/' + location.pathname + '"'; newVal = newVal.replace('/majority', '/rep'); newVal = newVal.replace('/minority-press', '/dem'); newVal = newVal.replace('/table', ''); searchtwo.q.val(val); searchtwo.advanced.val('url:(' + newVal + ')'); } }); $('#advanced-search-btn').click(function() { searchtwo.form.submit(); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="header" class="fikit interior-header"> <div class="container"> <div class="header-top"> <img src="/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/judiciary.svg" alt="text logo"> </div> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/" class="logo-hold"> <img class="" src="/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/Pillar.svg" alt="column-logo"> </a> </div> <div class="nav-hold right-slide-search"> <div class="container"> <div class="gold-logo"><a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/"><img src="/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/judiciary-gold.svg" alt="Committee on the Judiciary logo"></a></div> <div class="navbar"> <ul class="nav nav-pills nav-justified hidden-sm hidden-xs" id="main-nav"> <li class="no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings">Hearings</a> </li> <li class="no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/legislation">Legislation</a> </li> <li class="dropdown no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations">Nominations</a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/executive">Executive Nominations </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/judicial">Judicial Nominations </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/supreme-court">Supreme Court </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations/confirmed/?keyword=Confirmed">Confirmed Nominations </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/library">Library</a> </li> <li class="dropdown multiple-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/majority">Press</a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/majority">Majority Press </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/minority-press">Minority Press </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/press-kit">Press Kit </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="selected dropdown no-descriptions"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about">About</a> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/chair">The Chair </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/ranking">The Ranking Member </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members">Members </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/subcommittees">Subcommittees </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/jurisdiction">Committee Jurisdiction </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/rules">Committee Rules </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history">Committee History </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/faq">FAQ </a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <a class="srchbutton hidden-sm hidden-xs"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search"><span class="hidden">x</span></span> </a> <a class="srchbuttonmodal visible-sm-inline-block visible-xs-inline-block" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#SearchModal" aria-label="search" title="search"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search"><span class="hidden">x</span></span> </a> <div id="search"> <form id="sitesearch" role="search" method="get" action="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/search" class="form-inline"> <label for="search-field" style="text-indent:-9000px;">search</label> <input type="search" id="search-field" name="q" placeholder="Search"> <input type="hidden" name="access" value="p"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_dt" value="i"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_epq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_eq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_lq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_occt" value="any"/> <input type="hidden" name="as_oq" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_q" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="as_sitesearch" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="client" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sntsp" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="filter" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="getfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="lr" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="num" value="15"/> <input type="hidden" name="numgm" value="3"/> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="UTF8"/> <input type="hidden" name="output" value="xml_no_dtd"/> <input type="hidden" name="partialfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="proxycustom" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="proxyreload" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="proxystylesheet" value="default_frontend"/> <input type="hidden" name="requiredfields" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sitesearch" value=""/> <input type="hidden" name="sort" value="date:D:S:d1"/> <input type="hidden" name="start" value="0"/> <input type="hidden" name="ud" value="1"/> <button type="submit"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search"> <span class="hidden">x</span> </span> </button> </form> <div id="advanced-search-container"> <a id="advanced-search-link" class="btn" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#SearchModal" data-backdrop="static">Advanced<br/>Search</a> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> $( ".srchbutton" ).click(function(e) { // NOTE: sometimes the search body page has an id of search; so we specifically target the div $( "div#search" ).toggleClass( "showme" ); if ($( "div#search" ).hasClass( "showme" )){ $( ".nav" ).addClass('fade-out'); $( ".togglemenu" ).fadeOut( 0 ); $( "div#search #sitesearch #search-field").focus(); }else{ $( ".nav" ).removeClass('fade-out') $( ".togglemenu" ).delay( 300 ).fadeIn( 300 ); }; if ($( ".srchbutton .glyphicon" ).hasClass( "glyphicon-search" )){ $( ".srchbutton .glyphicon" ).removeClass( "glyphicon-search" ); $( ".srchbutton .glyphicon" ).addClass( "glyphicon-remove" ); }else{ $( ".srchbutton .glyphicon" ).removeClass( "glyphicon-remove" ); $( ".srchbutton .glyphicon" ).addClass( "glyphicon-search" ); }; }); </script> <a class="togglemenu hidden-xl hidden-md hidden-lg" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#NavMobileModal"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-menu-hamburger"></span> <span class="menulabel">MENU</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="skip-nav"></div> <div id="content" role="main"> <div class="container" id="main_container"> <div id="breadcrumb"><ol class="list-inline"><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Home</a></li><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about">About</a></li></ol></div> <div class="one_column row"> <div class="clearfix col-md-12" id="main_column"> <h1 class="main_page_title"> History</h1> <div id="sam-main" class="amend-textarea"> <p class="medium" align="center"><em>Established in 1816 as one of the original standing committees in the United States Senate, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary is one of the most influential committees in Congress. Its broad legislative jurisdiction has assured its primary role as a forum for the public discussion of social and constitutional issues. The Committee is also responsible for oversight of key activities of the executive branch, and is responsible for the initial stages of the confirmation process of all judicial nominations for the federal judiciary.</em></p> <h2>Origin</h2> <table class="pull-right styled-box" style="width: 30%; padding: 20px 30px; border: 0px; background: #363A40; color: white; margin-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px;" summary="Table Summary" border="1" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" align="right"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding: 20px 30px;" width="100%"> <div align="center"><img style="margin: 4px;" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/image/1816-Handwritten-Senate-Resolution-to-Establish-Standing-Committees_4.JPG" alt="1816 Handwritten Senate Resolution to Establish Standing Committees" width="175" height="216"/></div> <div class="medium" style="font-size: 16px;" align="center"><em><span><span style="color: #ffffff;">1816 Senate Resolution establishing the Standing Committees of the Senate.</span><br/> <a href="javascript:openWin('https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/http://www.archives.gov/legislative/');">Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives and Records Administration.</a></span></em></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>The delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 did not provide for congressional committees when they drafted the Constitution of the United States. Nevertheless, a select committee of eight Senators, often suggested to be the precursor to the present-day Judiciary Committee, was appointed one day after the Senate first convened in 1789. The select committee was tasked with drafting what would become the Judiciary Act of 1789. This landmark Act established the present three-tiered hierarchy of the federal judiciary, and the Office of the Attorney General.<br/> <br/> Temporary committees commonly convened in the House and Senate during the early years of Congress. The small size of Congress made it unnecessary to create permanent committees. In the Senate, ad hoc committees were comprised of three to five members depending on the issues assigned. These committees met as needed to discuss issues at their desks in the Senate chamber.<br/> <br/> The rapid growth of the nation after the turn of the 19th century and the increase in the number of members of Congress resulted in greater complexity in the federal lawmaking process. Elected officials in both the Senate and House recognized that the legislative business of the rapidly expanding country could no longer be addressed within the structure of select committees. In a resolution adopted on December 10, 1816, the Senate established the body's original standing committees, including the Committee on the Judiciary. The House Judiciary committee had been established three years earlier.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <footer class="footer centered-nav"> <div class="footer-logo"> <img src="/web/20220418183314im_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/judiciary/images/Pillar.svg" alt="pillar logo image"> </div> <div class="container"> <ul class="list-unstyled footer-ul footernav list-inline"> <li> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings">Hearings</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/legislation">Legislation</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/nominations">Nominations</a> </li> <li> <a href="library">Library</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/majority">Press</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about">About</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="subfooternav"> <div class="container"> <ul class="list-unstyled list-inline footer-ul"> <li> <a href="/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/privacy">Privacy Policy</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="subsubfooternav"> <div class="container"> <ul class="list-unstyled list-inline footer-ul" style="color:white;"> <li> 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building </li> <li> Washington, DC 20510 </li> <li> 202.224.7703 </li> </ul> </div> </div> </footer> <script type="text/template" class="deferred-script"> $( window ).load(function() { var mainbody = $("#content").height(); var mainwindow = $(window).height(); if (mainbody < mainwindow){ $( "#content" ).css( "min-height", mainwindow - 210 ); } }); </script>  <script async src="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-49319321-1"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'UA-49319321-1'); </script>  <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.senate.gov/wt_sdc/judiciary_webtrends.load.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <noscript> <div><img alt="DCSIMG" id="DCSIMG" width="1" height="1" src="//web.archive.org/web/20220418183314im_/https://statse.webtrendslive.com/dcs222kv32ffbhuf7dlog4bxn_1o5d/njs.gif?dcsuri=/nojavascript&WT.js=No&WT.tv=10.4.0&dcssip=www.judiciary.senate.gov"/></div> </noscript>   <script type="text/javascript"> $(function() { /*MOBILE DECIVES*/ if( /Android|webOS|iPhone|iPad|iPod|BlackBerry|IEMobile|Opera Mini/i.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { $( "body" ).addClass( "mobiledevice" ); //alert("mobiledevice"); }; if( /iPad/i.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { $( "body" ).addClass( "mobiledevicelarge" ); //alert("mobiledevicelarge"); }; // IE old if (/MSIE (\d+\.\d+);/.test(navigator.userAgent)){ $( "html" ).addClass( "ie" ); } // IE 10 if( /MSIE 8.0/i.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { //alert("IE 10") $( "html" ).addClass( "ieold" ); }; // IE 10 if( /MSIE 10.0/i.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { //alert("IE 10") $( "html" ).addClass( "ie10" ); }; // IE 11 if( /Trident/i.test(navigator.userAgent) ) { //alert("IE 11") $( "html" ).addClass( "ie" ); }; }); </script> <script src="//web.archive.org/web/20220418183314js_/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/scripts/vendor/orientation.js?cachebuster=1522411484"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/scripts/vendor/modernizr/modernizr.js?cachebuster=1522411536"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/scripts/vendor/selectivizr/selectivizr.js?cachebuster=1522411484"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/themes/default_v5/scripts/global.js"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/scripts/vendor/mootools/mootools.js?cachebuster=1522411300"></script> <script src="/web/20220418183314js_/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/scripts/vendor/mootools/mootools-more.js?cachebuster=1522411299"></script> <script type="text/template" class="deferred-script"> // fix for bootstrap tooltip hide/mootools hide collision $$('form input,form select,form textarea, input, .nav-tabs li a').each(function(item) { if (typeof item.hide == 'function') { item.hide = null; } }); Element.implement({ 'slide': function(how, mode){ return this; } }); </script> <script> window.top['site_path'] = "209EA863-4040-F985-52CD-CE867F1417D3"; var application = { "config": { "tinymce": { "plugins": { "selectvideo": { "player": "jwplayer", // should be set to "legacy" or "jwplayer" currently "youtube": true, // set to true to write the youtube tags for youtube videos "width": "100%", // set width and height on the containing element "height": "100%", "tracking": true } } } }, "fn": { // deprecated mootools 1.2 stuff that we'll probably still use once we upgrade fully to 1.3 "defined": function(obj) { return (obj != undefined); }, "check": function(obj) { return !!(obj || obj === 0); } }, "form": { "captchaSiteKey": "", "processed": null }, "friendly_urls": true, "map": { "width": "100%", // set width and height on the containing element "height": "100%" }, "siteroot": "https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/", "theme": "judiciary", "webroot": "https://web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/" , "defaultTheme": "default_v5" }; var yt_players = []; function onYouTubePlayerAPIReady() { var carousel = $('.carousel'); if (carousel.length > 0) { carousel.on('slide', function() { if (typeof yt_players != 'undefined' && yt_players.constructor === Array && yt_players.length > 0) { yt_players.each(function(current) { if (application.fn.check(current.player) && typeof current.player.pauseVideo != 'undefined') { current.player.pauseVideo(); } }); } }); //$('.carousel').carousel('cycle'); } Array.each(yt_players, function(video) { video.target.innerHTML = ""; video.player = new YT.Player(video.target, { width: video.width, height: video.height, videoId: video.id, playerVars: { controls: 1, showinfo: 0 , modestbranding: 1, wmode: "transparent" }, events: { 'onStateChange': function(event) { if (event.data == YT.PlayerState.PLAYING) { if (typeof _gaq != 'undefined') { _gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Video', 'Play', video.title ]); } //$('.carousel').carousel('pause'); carousel.each(function(index) { $(this).carousel('pause'); }); } else if (event.data == YT.PlayerState.PAUSED) { //if (typeof _gaq != 'undefined') { _gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Video', 'Pause', video.title ]); } //$('.carousel').carousel('cycle'); } else if (event.data == YT.PlayerState.ENDED) { if (typeof _gaq != 'undefined') { _gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Video', 'Complete', video.title ]); } //carousel.carousel('cycle'); carousel.each(function(index) { $(this).carousel('cycle'); }); } } } }); }); } $(function() { var tag = document.createElement('script'); tag.src = "//web.archive.org/web/20220418183314/https://www.youtube.com/player_api"; var firstScriptTag = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag, firstScriptTag); }); function returnfalse() { return false } </script>  <script> $(function() { $('a').each(function() { var $this = $(this); var newWin = $this.hasClass('new-win'); var senExit = $this.hasClass('sen-exit'); if (newWin === true || senExit === true) { var href = $this.attr('href'); if (typeof href !== 'undefined' && href !== '') { if (href.indexOf('javascript:') === -1 && href.charAt(0) !== '#') { var uri = (senExit === true) ? '' + encodeURIComponent(href) : href; $this.click(function(e) { e.preventDefault(); window.open(uri); }); } } } }); }); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> window.addEvent("domready", function() { $$("script.deferred-script").each(function(script) { Browser.exec((Browser.ie) ? script.innerHTML : script.get("text")); }); }); </script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

Committee History | About | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary