Louie Gohmert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louie Gohmert
Official portrait, 2013
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 1st district
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Max Sandlin
Succeeded by	Nathaniel Moran
Personal details
Born	Louis Buller Gohmert Jr. (1953-08-18) August 18, 1953 (age 71) Pittsburg, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kathy Gohmert ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	3
Education	Texas A&M University (BA) Baylor University (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1978–1982
Rank	Captain
Unit	Army Judge Advocate General's Corps
Awards	Meritorious Service Medal

Louis Buller Gohmert Jr. (born August 18, 1953) is an American lawyer, politician, and former judge. He served as a U.S. Representative for Texas's 1st congressional district from 2005 to 2023. Gohmert is a member of the Republican Party. He was also part of the Tea Party movement, a political group that supports lower taxes and less government spending.

In 2015, he tried to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives but was not successful. In 2021, he ran for Attorney General of Texas but did not win. His political views are often seen as very conservative.

Early Life and School

Gohmert was born in Pittsburg, Texas. His father was an architect. He grew up in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and finished high school there in 1971.

He went to Texas A&M University with a scholarship from the U.S. Army. In 1975, he earned a degree in history. While at Texas A&M, he was a leader in the school's military training program, known as the Corps of Cadets. He was also president of his class.

In 1977, Gohmert earned a law degree from Baylor Law School.

Early Career in Law and Politics

After law school, Gohmert joined the U.S. Army JAG Corps. This is where lawyers work for the military. He served from 1978 to 1982, mostly as a defense attorney.

From 1992 to 2002, Gohmert was a state district judge in Smith County, Texas. He was elected three times. In 2002, the Texas Governor appointed him as Chief Justice on Texas's 12th Court of Appeals for six months.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

Gohmert with President George W. Bush in 2005

In 2004, Gohmert ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won against the current representative, Max Sandlin, with 61% of the votes. After that, he was re-elected seven more times, always winning with more than 68% of the votes.

In 2015, Gohmert challenged John Boehner for the role of Speaker of the House. The Speaker is the leader of the House of Representatives. Boehner was re-elected, but Gohmert received three votes from other Republican members.

During his time in office, Gohmert helped pass one bill that became law. This bill, passed in 2017, made the 9-1-1 emergency system simpler.

Political Views

Gohmert is known as a very conservative Republican. He is often associated with the Tea Party movement.

Money and the Economy

Gohmert supports lower taxes. He once suggested a "tax holiday" bill. This bill would have stopped federal income tax from being taken out of paychecks for two months.

He voted against a bill in 2011 that aimed to control government debt. He felt it did not do enough. He also voted against a change to the Constitution that would have required a balanced budget.

Gohmert supports school vouchers. These allow public money to be used for private school tuition. He also supported a bill in 2013 that would change how government spending is planned. He believed it would make it clearer what is an increase in spending and what is a cut.

Climate Change and the Environment

Gohmert does not agree with the scientific view that climate change is a serious problem caused by humans. He has said that data supporting climate change is not real. He is against laws that would limit carbon pollution. He supports more oil drilling, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In 2015, he said that Pope Francis was wrong to say climate change was a serious issue. He supported the U.S. leaving the Paris Agreement, an international agreement on climate change.

In 2021, during a meeting, Gohmert asked if anything could be done to change the moon's or Earth's orbit to help with climate change.

LGBT Rights

Gohmert is against LGBT rights. In 2010, he voted against allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the U.S. military. In 2015, he supported changing the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. He also disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision that made same-sex marriage legal across the country. In 2019, he opposed a bill that would protect LGBT people from discrimination.

Funding for Science Research

In 2016, Gohmert was one of only four representatives to vote against a bill that would help the National Science Foundation support programs for women entrepreneurs. He said the program would "discriminate against that young, poverty-stricken boy and to encourage the girl."

Foreign Policy and National Security

In 2021, Gohmert was among many House Republicans who voted against a defense bill. This bill included a rule that would require women to be drafted into the military. He also voted against another defense bill in 2022.

In June 2021, Gohmert voted to end a law that allowed military force to be used against Iraq.

"Terror Babies" Claims

In 2010, Gohmert claimed that some people overseas were sending pregnant women to the U.S. to give birth. He said the goal was for these babies to become U.S. citizens and then be raised as terrorists. When they grew up, they could easily enter the U.S. to carry out attacks. He said an airline passenger told him about a grandchild who was intentionally born in the U.S. for this reason.

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution says that children born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. Gohmert said this practice was a "gaping hole in the security of our country."

Immigration

Gohmert voted against a bill in 2019 that would change limits on how many immigrants can come to the U.S. from each country. He also voted against a bill in 2020 that would allow more temporary work visas.

In 2018, Gohmert suggested changing the name of Cesar Chavez Day to Border Control Day. He said Chavez worked to address the problems that illegal immigration could cause. Some people criticized this idea, saying it disrespected Chavez's legacy.

Investigations into Donald Trump

Gohmert was one of three Republicans who asked Robert Mueller to resign. Mueller was a special prosecutor investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. They believed Mueller could not be fair because of his past relationship with James Comey, a former FBI director.

COVID-19

Gohmert strongly supported using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, even though there was no clear proof it worked. He asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve it as an official treatment.

In July 2020, Gohmert tested positive for COVID-19. This was a day after he attended a meeting without wearing a mask, which he often did. He suggested that he might have gotten the disease from wearing a mask. After recovering, he donated his blood plasma.

2020 Election and Capitol Attack

In December 2020, Gohmert was one of many Republican members of the House who supported a lawsuit. This lawsuit tried to challenge the results of the 2020 United States presidential election, where Joe Biden won against Donald Trump. The Supreme Court did not hear the case.

Gohmert v. Pence On December 27, 2020, Gohmert filed a lawsuit against Vice President Mike Pence. He tried to overturn the 2020 election results. Gohmert's lawsuit claimed that a law from 1887 was unconstitutional. He wanted the Vice President to have the power to reject state-certified election results.

A federal judge dismissed Gohmert's lawsuit on January 1, 2021. The judge said Gohmert did not have the right to sue. Gohmert appealed the decision, but a higher court also rejected his appeal. The Supreme Court later rejected his petition as well.

January 6 Capitol Attack Gohmert was one of 147 members of Congress who voted against confirming the 2020 election results on January 7, 2021. This was the day after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In June 2021, Gohmert was one of 21 House Republicans who voted against giving a special medal to police officers who defended the Capitol during the attack. In September 2022, when a person involved in the January 6 events was released from prison, Gohmert gave her an American flag that had flown over the Capitol.

Committee Roles

During his time in the House, Gohmert served on several important committees:

• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice
  • Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations
• Committee on Natural Resources (where he was a Ranking Member, meaning the top member of the minority party)
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Groups He Joined

Gohmert was a member of several groups within Congress:

• Freedom Caucus
• Israel Allies Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
• Tea Party Caucus
• Republican Study Committee
• Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
• Congressional Western Caucus

Run for Texas Attorney General

In November 2021, Gohmert announced he would run for Texas Attorney General in 2022. He decided not to run for re-election in the House. He said he would join the race if he could raise $1 million in donations in 10 days, and he claimed he reached this goal. However, reports later showed he had not. He finished last among the four candidates in the Republican primary election.

Nathaniel Moran took over Gohmert's seat in the House of Representatives.

Election Results

Here are the results from some of the elections Louie Gohmert participated in:

Personal Life

Louie Gohmert is a Southern Baptist. He attends Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. There, he has served as a deacon and teaches Sunday school. He is married to Kathy Gohmert, and they have three daughters.

Images for kids

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  Gohmert with Ben Shapiro in 2018

See also

• Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal
• United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack public hearings