Bob Goodlatte | |
|---|---|
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| Chair of theHouse Judiciary Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Lamar Smith |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Nadler |
| Chair of theHouse Agriculture Committee | |
| In office May 31, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Combest |
| Succeeded by | Collin Peterson |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's6th district | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Olin |
| Succeeded by | Ben Cline |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert William Goodlatte (1952-09-22)September 22, 1952 (age 73) Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Bates College (BA) Washington and Lee University (JD) |
Goodlatte opening debate on the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act. Recorded November 28, 2017 | |
Robert William Goodlatte (/ˈɡʊdˌlæt/; born September 22, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist who served as theU.S. representative forVirginia's 6th congressional district from 1993 to 2019. ARepublican, he was also theChair of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation affecting thefederal courts, administrative agencies, andfederal law enforcement entities. Based in theShenandoah Valley, Goodlatte's district covered the cities ofHarrisonburg,Lexington,Lynchburg,Roanoke, andStaunton.
In 2017, Goodlatte presided over a GOP effort, conducted in a secret session, to weaken the independentOffice of Congressional Ethics, a move widely criticized by House leaders and the opposition party. The proposal passed by a 119 to 74 vote, but it was withdrawn the following day after widespread public criticism.[1][2] On November 9, 2017, Goodlatte announced that he would not seek re-election in2018. Republicanstate delegateBen Cline was elected as his successor.[3] In February 2020, Goodlatte registered as alobbyist representing the Project for Privacy & Surveillance Accountability, a non-profit.[4]
Goodlatte was born inHolyoke, Massachusetts, the son of Doris B. (née Mentzendorff) and Robert Swan Goodlatte. His paternal ancestry includes English and Irish and his maternal grandfather was aBaltic German fromRiga.[5] Goodlatte grew up inSpringfield, Massachusetts.[6] Goodlatte received aB.A. in political science fromBates College inLewiston, Maine in 1974. He also holds aJuris Doctor fromWashington and Lee University School of Law inLexington, Virginia, received in 1977.[7]
In his early professional career he served as a staff aide for 6th District U.S. CongressmanM. Caldwell Butler from 1977 to 1979. Goodlatte went on to work as a lawyer in private practice from 1980 to 1993.[7]
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Bob Goodlatte received the Republican nomination at the Republican District convention afterDemocratic Party candidateJim Olin opted not to run for reelection in 1992. In the 1992 November general election, Goodlatte defeated Democratic candidate Stephen Musselwhite, who had defeated Olin's preferred choice at the district Democratic convention, with 60% of the vote. Goodlatte has been reelected ten times, often running unopposed. His most substantive Democratic opposition was in 1996, when he faced Jeff Grey, and again in 1998, whenRoanoke mayorDavid Bowers challenged him. In an overwhelmingly conservative district, Goodlatte turned back these challenges, with 67% and 69% of the vote, respectively. In 2008, he was challenged by Democratic candidateSam Rasoul of Roanoke. Goodlatte garnered 62% of the vote. In 2010, Goodlatte was challenged by Independent Jeffrey Vanke and Libertarian Stuart Bain. Goodlatte won with 76.26% of the vote.[8]
In 2009, Goodlatte was appointed to serve as the co-leadimpeachment manager (prosecutor) alongsideAdam Schiff for theimpeachment trial of JudgeSamuel B. Kent. The following year, Goodlatte was appointed and served as a House co-lead impeachment manager in the impeachment trial ofThomas Porteous, again alongside Schiff.[9]
In 2011, RepublicanKaren Kwiatkowski ofMount Jackson, Virginia, announced that she would challenge Goodlatte in the Republican primary set for June 12, 2012. This was Bob Goodlatte's first contested Republican primary. Kwiatkowski earned 34% of the Republican primary vote, with Goodlatte winning 66%.[10] He faced Democratic nomineeAndy Schmookler in the general election and defeated him with 66% of the vote.[11]
TheAmerican Conservative Union gave him a 94% evaluation.
During a secret meeting on the night before the start of the115th Congress, Goodlatte led an attempt by House Republicans to reduce the reach of the independentOffice of Congressional Ethics. The Office was created in 2008 after numerous infractions involving Republican lobbyistJack Abramoff, resulting in the imprisonment of House memberBob Ney.[12] The proposed amendment to House Rules, spearheaded by Goodlatte, gave theHouse Ethics Committee - made up of partisan elected officials - oversight of what would be the renamed Office and power to stop inquiries that had the potential to lead to criminal charges. It would have also blocked the Office's staff from speaking with reporters and other news media members.[13]
The amendment passed during the secret meeting, but its fortunes were reversed once news of the measure leaked out. The proposed changes immediately drew strong criticism from prominent figures on both sides of the aisle, including House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi, President-electDonald Trump, and even Abramoff himself.[2][14] Additionally, social media catalyzed a swift reaction from constituents, withGoogle reporting that searches for "Who is my representative" surged in the hours following the public unveiling of the mooted changes to the Office.[15] Representatives received thousands of calls demanding they cease their support for the amendment.[16] In less than 24 hours, Goodlatte and his fellow Republicans scrapped the proposal.[17]
One of Goodlatte's legislative initiatives was his constitutional amendment to require a balancedfederal budget. Goodlatte wrote and put forward both the "clean"Balanced Budget Amendment which had a higher chance of actually passing the House and the Senate as well as a version that makes it harder to increase taxes by requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to raise taxes.[18][19] However, RepresentativesPaul Ryan,Justin Amash,David Dreier andLouie Gohmert voted against the "clean" amendment because it could have allowed taxes to be raised on Americans. Ryan released a statement after the vote, saying: "I'm concerned that this version will lead to a much bigger government fueled by more taxes. Spending is the problem, yet this version of the Balanced Budget Amendment makes it more likely taxes will be raised, government will grow, and economic freedom will be diminished. Without a limit on government spending, I cannot support this Amendment."[20]
Goodlatte supported PresidentDonald Trump's 2017executive order to impose a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. to citizens of sevenMuslim-majority countries. He stated that "The primary duty of the federal government is to keep Americans safe. Today, President Trump has begun to fulfill this responsibility by taking a number of critical steps within his authority to strengthen national security and the integrity of our nation's immigration system."[21]
Goodlatte is the co-chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Internet Caucus, Chairman of the House Republican High-Technology Working Group, and Co-Chairman of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus.
In 1997 he sponsored theNo Electronic Theft Act which criminalized several kinds of non-commercialcopyright infringement, in response to the decision for the court caseUnited States v. LaMacchia (1994).
Goodlatte is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition ofonline gambling. In 2006, he sponsored H.R. 4777, theInternet Gambling Prohibition Act.[22] In September 2006, working with then Iowa CongressmanJim Leach, Goodlatte was a major House supporter of theUnlawful Internet gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The Act was passed at midnight the day Congress adjourned before the2006 elections. Prior to it being added to thebill, the gambling provisions had not been debated by anyCongressional committee.[23] The bill was made sure to exclude online gambling. They claimed moral reasons for pushing for a ban on Internet gambling, but critics charge that it was due to campaign contributions from Microsoft and Steam.[24]
Goodlatte invoked surveillance abuse against Martin Luther King Jr. in the context of alleged surveillance abuses against Trump 2016 campaign advisor Carter Page.[25]
His last act as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee before leaving in December 2018 was to blockSavanna's Act, a bill introduced byHeidi Heitkamp and which had passed without opposition in the Senate.[26] The bill, previously known as S.1942, was nicknamed afterFargo, North Dakota resident Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind was brutally murdered in August 2017 as an example of the horrific statistics regarding abuse and homicide of Native American women.[27]
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | Republican Primary | Votes | Pct | Independent | Votes | Pct | Minor Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Stephen A. Musselwhite | 84,618 | 40% | Bob Goodlatte | 127,309 | 60% | ** | (no candidate) | * | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 126,455 | 100% | (no candidate) | * | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Jeffrey W. Grey | 61,485 | 31% | Bob Goodlatte | 133,576 | 67% | (no candidate) | Jay P. Rutledge | 4,229 | 2% | * | |||||||||||
| 1998 | David A. Bowers | 39,487 | 31% | Bob Goodlatte | 89,177 | 69% | (no candidate) | * | ||||||||||||||
| 2000 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 153,338 | 99% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 1,145 | 1% | ||||||||||||||
| 2002 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 105,530 | 97% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 3,202 | 3% | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 206,560 | 97% | (no candidate) | Write-ins | 7,088 | 3% | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 153,187 | 75% | (no candidate) | Barbara Jean Pryor | 25,129 | 12% | Andre Peery | Independent | 24,731 | 12% | * | |||||||||
| 2008 | Sam Rasoul | 114,367 | 37% | Bob Goodlatte | 192,350 | 62% | (no candidate) | Janice Lee Allen | 5,413 | 2% | * | |||||||||||
| 2010 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 126,710 | 76% | (no candidate) | Jeffrey Vanke | 21,648 | 13% | Stuart Bain | Libertarian | 15,309 | 9% | * | |||||||||
| 2012 | Andy Schmookler | 109,929 | 34% | Bob Goodlatte | 209,701 | 66% | Karen Kwiatkowski | 10,991 | 34% | * | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | (no candidate) | Bob Goodlatte | 133,898 | 75% | (no candidate) | Eliane Hildebrandt | 21,447 | 12% | Will Hammer | Libertarian | 22,161 | 12% | * | |||||||||
| 2016 | Kai Degner | 112,170 | 33% | Bob Goodlatte | 225,471 | 66% | Harry Griego | 5,383 | 22% | Libertarian |
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, write-ins received 160 votes. In 1994, write-ins received 189 votes. In 1996, write-ins received 71 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 66 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 948 votes. In 2008, write-ins received 262 votes. In 2010, write-ins relieved 2,709 votes. **In 1992, Bob Goodlatte received the Republican nomination at the Republican District Convention. Prior to 2012, Goodlatte had never faced a primary challenge throughout his 20-years in Congress.[36]
Goodlatte has been married since 1974; he and his wife have two children.[37] He is aChristian Scientist.[38]
...in an amendment to House rules by Congressman Bob Goodlatte, would weaken the body's oversight of matters such as conflicts of interests and financial impropriety .... the new body would no longer be able to receive anonymous tip-offs, nor have a spokesperson, and would be under the supervision of the House Ethics Committee. Accusations against lawmakers would not be made public, as they are currently...
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)...Goodlatte announced on Monday that the House Republican Conference had approved a change to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics...
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 6th congressional district 1993–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Agriculture Committee 2003–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Collin Peterson | Ranking Member of theHouse Agriculture Committee 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Judiciary Committee 2013–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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