Louie Gohmert

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Louie Gohmert (born August 18, 1953, in Pittsburg, Texas) is an American politician and current Republican U.S. Representative from Texas Texas's 1st congressional district (map).

Gohmert received his B.A. from Texas A&M University in 1975. At A&M, he was a Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets. He later received his J.D. from Baylor University in 1977. Gohmert served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army, at Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1978 to 1982. He was elected as district judge in Smith County in 1992 and was reelected two times before being appointed as an appeals court judge by Governor Rick Perry for the 12th Circuit, where he served from 2002 to 2003. In 2004, he successfully defeated Democratic incumbent 1st District Congressman Max Sandlin for his seat in Congress; becoming the first Republican since Reconstruction to represent the 1st District of Texas.


Biography

Representative Louie Gohmert was sworn in January 4, 2005 by Speaker Dennis Hastert as Congressman for the First District of Texas.

Prior to being elected to serve in Congress, Louie Gohmert was elected to three terms as District Judge in Smith County, Texas. During his tenure on the bench, Gohmert gained national and international attention for some of his unique rulings. Gohmert was later appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to complete a term as Chief Justice of the 12th Court of Appeals.

Once sworn into the House of Representatives, Gohmert received assignments to three House committees: the House Committees on Judiciary, Resources and Small Business.

Gohmert's years in the court room as a lawyer and judge led to his appointment to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Due to the legal nature of the Committee's work it has been customary for members to have a legal background. The Committee has jurisdiction over matters such as: constitutional issues, the Federal courts, crime, law enforcement, and immigration. Gohmert works on three subcommittees: the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims; Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law; Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security; while also volunteering as a resource for the Court Rules and Intellectual Property Subcommittee.

Gohmert also serves on the House Committee on Resources, which is relevant to his natural-resource rich district. The Committee works to explore natural resources. Gohmert has expressed a desire that the US utilize domestic sources of energy instead of relying so heavily on foreign resources. Gohmert sits on both the Energy and Mineral Resources and Water and Power subcommittees.

As a member of the the House Committee on Small Business, Gohmert has chosen to err on the side of limiting regulation of small businesses. Gohmert serves on the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight.

Louie Gohmert received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, where he was Class President and served as a Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets. He was also Class President while attending Baylor School of Law. He is a veteran having served his country as Captain in the U.S. Army as a result of an Army scholarship at Texas A&M.

Louie Gohmert and his wife Kathy have three daughters: Katy, Caroline, and Sarah. The Gohmert family attends Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, where Louie has been a deacon and Sunday school teacher.

Gohmert's volunteer work in his East Texas district includes: President of the South Tyler Rotary Club, Director of Leadership Tyler, and Director of Centrepoint Ministries. Louie, an Eagle Scout himself, has also served on the Boy Scout East Texas District Board of Directors.

Recent Activities

On July 13, 2006, Gohmert attempted to amend the Voting Rights Act as it moved toward approval in the US House. Gohmert sought to shorten the Act's reauthorization period from 25 years to 10 years. During floor debate, Gohmert stated that the VRA has accomplished great things for voting rights, but it does not currently apply to every area of the country that it should. He sought to amend the Act so that Congress can revisit the issue sooner to ensure that voting rights are respected everywhere. The amendment failed 134-288.

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