Mike Johnson (Louisiana politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Johnson
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Official portrait, 2022
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| 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office October 25, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Kevin McCarthy |
| Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
| Assumed office October 25, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Kevin McCarthy |
| Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – October 25, 2023 |
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| Leader | Kevin McCarthy |
| Preceded by | Mark Walker |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Chair of the Republican Study Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Mark Walker |
| Succeeded by | Jim Banks |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | John Fleming |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 8th district |
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| In office February 22, 2015 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Jeff R. Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Crews |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Michael Johnson
January 30, 1972 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kelly Lary |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Louisiana State University (BS, JD) |
James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since October 25, 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Johnson was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2016. He served as Chair of the Republican Study Committee from 2019 to 2021, and as Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2023.
He had served as vice chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to his election as speaker. Johnson previously chaired the House Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives in Congress, for one term, as well as a coalition of socially and fiscally conservative members of the larger House Republican Conference. Prior to his service in Congress, Johnson served two incomplete terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives.
On October 24, 2023, after three votes by the Republican conference, Johnson became the fourth Republican nominee for Speaker of the House in the October 2023 speakership election, following the failed candidacies of Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, and Tom Emmer. On October 25, he was elected the 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He is the first Speaker of the House from Louisiana.
A member of the Christian right faction of the Republican Party, Johnson is known for his strong support for an end to legal same-sex marriages. Johnson supports ending American military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
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Early life and education
Johnson was born in Shreveport, the oldest of four children of Jeanne Johnson and James Patrick Johnson. His father was a firefighter who founded the nonprofit organization the Percy R. Johnson Burn Foundation, named after his partner Percy R. Johnson, the city's first African-American fire instructor and captain, who died in the line of duty. Johnson's father was also critically burned and disabled in the line of duty during the same fire. Johnson has two brothers, Chris and Josh, and a sister, Laura.
Johnson attended Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in business administration where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity (Gamma Chapter) and from Louisiana State's Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1998 with a Juris Doctor.
Legal career
Before his election to Congress, Johnson was a partner in the Kitchens Law Firm and a senior attorney and national media spokesman for the Alliance Defense Fund, now known as Alliance Defending Freedom. Johnson was also formerly chief counsel of the nonprofit law firm Freedom Guard.
In September 2016, Johnson characterized his legal career as "defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals like these when they’ve been under assault."
Johnson served as a trustee of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission within the Southern Baptist Convention from 2004 to 2012.
Johnson came to some prominence in the late 1990s when he and his wife appeared on national television to represent Louisiana's newly passed marriage covenant laws, which made divorce more difficult legally.
Louisiana House of Representatives
After the 8th District seat was vacated in 2015, Johnson ran for the position unopposed.
Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act
In April 2015, Johnson proposed the Marriage and Conscience Act, a bill similar in content to Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed a few days earlier, though Johnson denied that his legislation was based on the Indiana law.
Johnson's Marriage and Conscience Act would have prevented adverse treatment by the State of any person or entity on the basis of the views they may hold with regard to marriage. Critics denounced the bill as an attempt to protect people who discriminate against same-sex married couples.
Governor Bobby Jindal pledged to sign Johnson's bill into law if it passed both houses of the legislature. IBM and other employers in the region expressed their opposition to the bill, including concerns about the hiring difficulties it would likely produce. Other politicians also objected, including Baton Rouge Metro Councilman John Delgado, a fellow Republican, who called Johnson a "despicable bigot of the highest order" for proposing the bill.
On May 19, 2015, the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee voted 10–2 to table the bill, effectively ending its chances to become law. Both Republicans and Democrats voted against the bill; other than Johnson, only Republican Ray Garofalo voted for it. After the bill was tabled, Jindal said that he would issue an executive order to enforce its intent.
Other
Johnson opposed the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
U.S. House of Representatives
Early Terms
Johnson was sworn into office on January 3, 2017. He was chosen Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference, an Assistant Whip for House Republicans, a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and a member and former Chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
Johnson voted for the American Health Care Act of 2017.
In December 2017, Johnson voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. After voting for the act, he called the economy "stunted" and a "burden" on Americans, adding, "The importance of this moment cannot be overstated. With the first comprehensive tax reform in 31 years, we will dramatically strengthen the U.S. economy and restore economic mobility and opportunity for hardworking individuals and families all across this country."
Johnson was among 147 Republicans that voted to overturn the 2020 election results.
On May 19, 2021, Johnson and all other seven Republican House leaders in the 117th Congress voted against establishing a national commission to investigate the January 6, 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. Thirty-five Republican House members and all 217 Democrats present voted to establish the commission.
After the 2022 midterm elections, representative Andy Biggs proposed Johnson as a possible compromise candidate for Speaker of the House instead of Republican Conference leader Kevin McCarthy, after members of the House Freedom Caucus opposed McCarthy's bid for the speakership.
In 2023, Johnson became chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government.
Speaker of the House
Following Speaker Kevin McCarthy's unprecedented ouster, representative Matt Gaetz again proposed Johnson as a candidate for Speaker. On October 13, 2023, Johnson stated that he would not run for Speaker and instead endorsed colleague Jim Jordan; however, on the same day NBC News reported that Johnson was considering running for Speaker if Jordan dropped out, as previous nominee Steve Scalise did.
On October 21, 2023, Johnson declared his candidacy for the vacant House speakership. On October 24, 2023, Johnson became the fourth nominee in the October 2023 speaker election.
On October 25, 2023, he was elected the 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He has the shortest House membership tenure of any Speaker in 140 years.
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government (Chair)
- Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
- Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
- Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Readiness
- Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems
Caucus memberships
- Republican Study Committee
- Congressional Western Caucus
Political positions
Johnson is a member of the Christian right faction of the Republican Party.
LGBT rights
Johnson is a strong supporter of traditional Christian views on marriage and an outspoken opponent of LGBT rights.
Climate change
During a town hall in 2017, Johnson questioned the scientific consensus on climate change which attributes it to man-made carbon dioxide.
Under Johnson, the Republican Study Committee in 2019 referred to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal as the "Greedy New Steal", described "wind and solar" as "the most inefficient energy sources we have", and claimed that living near wind turbines could cause "depression and cognitive dysfunction".
Johnson has a lifetime score of 2% (out of 100%) on the League of Conservation Voters' National Environmental Scorecard, which makes him one of the 47 lowest Republicans in Congress. During his seven-year congressional career, Johnson received $338,125 in donations from the oil and gas industry.
Immigration
Johnson supported President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to prohibit immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, saying: "This is not an effort to ban any religion, but rather an effort to adequately protect our homeland. We live in a dangerous world, and this important measure will help us balance freedom and security."
In 2023, Johnson voted for an amendment that would eliminate funding for immigration and refugee assistance.
Young Earth creationism
Johnson has written for Answers in Genesis (AIG) and has represented them in lawsuits. In 2014, he defended government-provided tax breaks for AIG's Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky. Johnson wrote a letter to the editor, stating:
If [Phelps'] proposition were followed, the commonwealth would be legally liable for blatantly unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. Phelps' preference — that religious groups should be denied equal access to tax incentive programs and also forced to hire people who openly disagree with their main beliefs — is not only unfair, it is clearly unlawful.
Ken Ham has praised Johnson for his work with Answers in Genesis and the Ark Encounter, calling him one of the only “godly men” in Washington, D.C.
Prayer in public schools
In April 2018, Johnson joined Republican state Attorney General Jeff Landry and Christian evangelist Kirk Cameron to argue under the First Amendment for student-led prayer and religious expression in public schools. Johnson and Landry appeared, with Cameron who spoke on a promotional video, at prayer rallies at the First Baptist Church of Minden and Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City. The gatherings were organized by area pastors, including Brad Jurkovich of First Baptist Bossier, in response to a lawsuit filed in February against the Bossier Parish School Board and the superintendent, Scott Smith. Smith and the board were accused of permitting teachers to incorporate various aspects of Christianity in their class presentations.
Taxation
In 2016, as a state representative, Johnson voted against a one-cent increase in Louisiana's sales tax.
Ahead of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Johnson stated that reducing corporate taxes "will unleash the free market again" and "could get [GDP growth] as high as 6 or 7 percent". In contrast, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB)'s analysis of the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation's analysis found that the TCJA might increase GDP growth rate by 0.02% per year (ie, from about 2.00% to 2.02%).
Veterans
The PACT ACT which expanded VA benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Johnson.
Personal life
Johnson is married to Kelly Lary, a licensed pastoral counselor, a lecturer on family-related issues, and a former school teacher. They have four children. Johnson formerly resided in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and in Allen, Collin County, Texas.
Johnson has stated that early in his married life he and his wife took in a 14-year-old African American boy and consider him a part of their family. "Many of my colleagues in this committee may not be aware, in addition to our four children at home, my wife and I have a much older son who happens to be African American," Johnson said. "We took custody of Michael and made him part of our family 22 years ago when we were just newlyweds and Michael just 14 and out on the streets and on a dangerous path."
Johnson is an evangelical Christian.
See also
In Spanish: Mike Johnson (político) para niños
