Jamie Raskin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jamie Raskin
Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Jerry Nadler
Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee
In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Jim Comer
Succeeded by	Gerry Connolly
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 8th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Chris Van Hollen
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 20th district
In office January 10, 2007 – November 10, 2016
Preceded by	Ida G. Ruben
Succeeded by	Will Smith
Personal details
Born	Jamin Ben Raskin (1962-12-13) December 13, 1962 (age 62) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sarah Bloom ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	3
Relatives	Marcus Raskin (father) Barbara Bellman (mother)
Education	Harvard University (BA, JD)
Signature

Jamin Ben Raskin (born December 13, 1962) is an American lawyer, law professor, and politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2017, he has been a U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district. Before this, he served in the Maryland State Senate from 2007 to 2016.

Raskin helps lead the Congressional Freethought Caucus. He was the main person in charge of the second impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. This happened after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Before becoming a politician, Raskin taught constitutional law at American University Washington College of Law.

Early life and education

Jamie Raskin was born in Washington, D.C., on December 13, 1962. His family is Jewish. His mother, Barbara Raskin, was a writer. His father, Marcus Raskin, worked for President John F. Kennedy. His father was also a co-founder of the Institute for Policy Studies.

Raskin finished high school in 1979 when he was 16. He then went to Harvard College. In 1983, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government. In 1987, he earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. He was also an editor for the Harvard Law Review.

Legal career

For over 25 years, Raskin was a professor of constitutional law. He taught at the American University Washington College of Law. He helped start a special law program there. He also helped create a project to teach students about the U.S. Constitution.

From 1989 to 1990, Raskin worked as a lawyer for Jesse Jackson's National Rainbow Coalition. In 1996, he represented Ross Perot. This was when Perot was not allowed to join the 1996 United States presidential debates.

Early political career

In 1999, Jamie Raskin was chosen to lead the Maryland State Higher Education Labor Relations Board. This board deals with workers' rights in higher education. He also managed Doug Gansler's campaign in 2006. Gansler was running to be the Attorney General of Maryland.

Maryland Senate

Raskin speaks at a press conference about ending the death penalty in Maryland, 2013

Raskin was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2006. He won against the person who held the seat before him. He represented District 20, which included parts of Montgomery County. In 2012, Raskin became the Senate majority whip. This means he helped make sure his party's members voted together. He also led the Montgomery County Senate Delegation.

While in the Senate, Raskin worked on many important laws. He supported ending the death penalty in Maryland. He also helped create rules for "benefit corporations." These are companies that aim to do good for society, not just make money. He also supported a plan for presidential elections to be decided by popular vote.

Raskin was a key leader in the effort to make same-sex marriage legal in Maryland. In 2006, during a hearing on same-sex marriage, he famously told another lawmaker: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Raskin campaigning in 2016 with Senator Elizabeth Warren

On April 19, 2015, Raskin announced he would run for Congress. He said his goal was "to be in the moral center," not just the political center. The person who held the seat before him, Chris Van Hollen, decided to run for the U.S. Senate instead.

Raskin won the Democratic primary election with 33% of the vote. This was a very important election because the district usually votes Democratic. He was seen as the most liberal candidate in the race. Even though he spent less money than others, he still won.

In the main election, Raskin won against the Republican candidate, Dan Cox. He received 60% of the votes.

Tenure

Raskin speaking at the 2020 AFGE Legislative Conference

One of Raskin's first actions in Congress was to question the results of the 2016 presidential election. He raised concerns about possible outside interference and voter issues. In 2017, he proposed a law to create a commission. This group would check if a president was able to do their job. This could help remove a president from office under the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

In April 2018, Raskin helped start the Congressional Freethought Caucus. This group aims to make public policy based on reason and science. It also supports the separation of church and state. The caucus works against unfair treatment of people who are atheists, agnostics, or humanists.

Raskin supports laws that stop unfair treatment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2019, he voted for the Equality Act. He asked other members of Congress to vote for it too.

On January 12, 2021, Raskin was chosen to lead the Senate impeachment trial against Donald Trump. He helped write the official charge against Trump. The charge was that Trump encouraged an attack on the U.S. Capitol. During the trial, Raskin shared that his daughter was with him at the Capitol during the attack. She told him, "Dad, I don't want to come back to the Capitol."

Investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol

Raskin with Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn

On July 1, 2021, Raskin was chosen to be on the House Select Committee. This committee investigated the January 6 Capitol attack. Raskin said that domestic violent extremism is the biggest security threat in the country. He saw this threat during the attack on January 6.

On July 12, 2022, Raskin helped lead a public hearing for the committee. This hearing focused on how groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers helped organize the attack. It also showed how a tweet from Donald Trump on December 19, 2020, encouraged his supporters. The committee showed recordings from a Twitter employee. This employee said the tweet was a "call to action" for Trump's supporters.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Ranking Member)

Party leadership and caucus membership

• House Democratic Caucus, Senior Whip
• Congressional Progressive Caucus, Vice Chair
• Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
• Congressional Freethought Caucus, co-founder and co-chair
• Medicare for All Caucus

Electoral history

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

Personal life

Jamie Raskin is married to Sarah Bloom Raskin. She has held important roles in finance and government. They live in Takoma Park, Maryland. They have two daughters, Hannah and Tabitha. They also had a son named Tommy.

On December 31, 2020, Raskin's office announced that his son Tommy had passed away at age 25. Tommy was a student at Harvard Law School. Raskin and his wife shared a tribute to their son online. The day after Tommy's burial, Raskin was at the Capitol with his daughter during the January 6 Capitol attack. Soon after, he began working on the article of impeachment against President Trump. Six days later, he was chosen to lead Trump's second impeachment trial.

Raskin wrote a book in 2022 called Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy. It talks about his son's life and his work on the impeachment trial. A TV documentary called "Love & The Constitution" also covered his life and work. Raskin has been vegetarian since 2009.

Health

In May 2010, Raskin was diagnosed with colon cancer. He received treatment and had surgery. He recovered in early 2011.

In December 2022, Raskin announced he had been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer. He completed his treatment in April 2023. On April 27, he shared that his cancer was in remission.

See also

In Spanish: Jamie Raskin para niños