Justin Amash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Justin Amash
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd district |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Vern Ehlers |
| Succeeded by | Peter Meijer |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 72nd district |
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| In office January 14, 2009 – January 1, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Glenn Steil |
| Succeeded by | Ken Yonker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 18, 1980 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (before 2019, 2024–present) Independent (2019–2020) Libertarian (2020–2024) |
| Spouse | Kara Day |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Michigan (AB, JD) |
Justin A. Amash (pronounced uh-MAHSH; born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative for Michigan from 2011 to 2021. This means he was one of the people who helped make laws for the country.
Justin Amash was the second person in Congress with both Palestinian American and Syrian American family roots. He started his political career as a member of the Republican Party. Later, in 2019, he became an independent politician. The next year, he joined the Libertarian Party. When he left Congress in 2021, he was the only Libertarian serving there. In 2024, he returned to the Republican Party.
Amash grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His parents came to the United States from Palestine and Syria. After high school, he studied economics at the University of Michigan. He also earned a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Before becoming a politician, he worked briefly as a lawyer and a business consultant.
Before going to Congress, Amash represented the 72nd district in the Michigan House of Representatives. He was elected to Congress in 2010. He helped start a group called the Liberty Caucus. He was also a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers. He left this group in 2019. Justin Amash became well-known when he was the first Republican in Congress to suggest that Donald Trump should be removed from office. He kept this view even after leaving the Republican Party.
In 2020, Amash thought about running for president as a Libertarian. However, he decided not to run in May of that year. He also chose not to run for Congress again in 2020. Later, in 2024, Amash ran for the U.S. Senate in Michigan as a Republican. He lost to another former congressman, Mike Rogers. The Detroit Free Press newspaper supported his Senate campaign.
Early Life and Education
Justin Amash was born on April 18, 1980, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the middle of three sons. His parents are Arab Christian immigrants who came to the United States.
His father, Attallah Amash, is a Palestinian Christian. His family lived in a place called Ramla until they had to leave during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Attallah and his family moved to the United States in 1956 when he was 16. An American pastor helped them settle in Muskegon, Michigan. Justin's mother, Mimi, is a Syrian Christian. She met his father through family friends in Damascus, Syria, and they married in 1974.
Amash grew up in Kentwood, Michigan. He went to Kelloggsville Christian School and then Grand Rapids Christian High School. He graduated from high school in 1998 as the valedictorian. This means he was the top student in his graduating class.
After high school, he went to the University of Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 2002. He then continued his studies at the University of Michigan Law School. He received his law degree, called a Juris Doctor, in 2005.
After finishing law school, Amash worked as a lawyer for less than a year. He then became a consultant for Michigan Industrial Tools Inc., a company his father started. He worked for his family's business for about a year. Then, in 2008, he was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. His two brothers also work at Michigan Industrial Tools.
Justin Amash and his wife, Kara Day, went to high school together. They got married after they both finished college. They have three children: one son and two daughters.
- List of Arab and Middle-Eastern Americans in the United States Congress
- List of American politicians who switched parties in office
- List of United States representatives who switched parties
See also
In Spanish: Justin Amash para niños
