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121-538: The Values Voter Summit is hosted by the Family Research Council . There are numerous conservative organizations sponsoring or otherwise participating in the conference. In the 2010 summit, 38 organizations and an audience of 2,000 people participated. The summit is usually held in September or October of each year. The first summit was held in 2006. Among the key issues for values voters defined by

242-499: A "civil war" over the inclusion of the gay Republican group GOProud led many conservative organizations and activists to boycott the 2011 CPAC, Politico reported that a group of conservative figures were beginning to organize to turn the Values Voter Summit into "a full-fledged rival to CPAC" by expanding its focus to include economic and national security issues. Several of the organizations that have been boycotting

363-476: A Know Nothing but was now largely identified with the Republicans. The southern Know Nothings supported first Humphrey Marshall of Kentucky, and then Henry M. Fuller of Pennsylvania. The voting went on for almost two months with no candidate able to secure a majority, until it was finally agreed to elect the speaker by plurality vote, and Banks was elected. The House found itself in a similar dilemma when

484-456: A Member of [the] House during his Continuance in Office." Along with political scientist Matthew J. Franck, Schaub, Ellis, and Dubinsky argue that permitting a Senator or an executive or judicial officer of the federal government to serve as a non-member Speaker would cause a significant breach of the constitutional separation of powers . Schaub, Ellis, and Dubinsky also argue that permitting

605-718: A Senate and House of Representatives", political scientist Diana Schaub has argued, "Legislative powers cannot be lodged in the hands of a non-legislative person. To do so would violate the fundamental purpose of Article [I] of the Constitution." Both Schaub and the CRS note that the Standing Rules and Orders of the House created by the 1st United States Congress provided that the Speaker would vote "In all cases of ballot by

726-575: A bewildering variety of labels, including Whig, Republican , American ( Know Nothing ), and simply " Opposition ". By the time Congress actually met in December 1855, most of the northerners were concentrated together as Republicans, while most of the southerners and a few northerners used the American or Know Nothing label. Opponents of the Democrats held a majority in House, with the party makeup of

847-531: A clearly partisan cast, very different from the speakership of most Westminster-style legislatures, such as the speaker of the United Kingdom's House of Commons , which is meant to be scrupulously non-partisan. The speaker in the United States, by tradition , is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives, outranking the majority leader. However, despite having the right to vote,

968-503: A compromise candidate since the other Republicans in the leadership were more controversial. Hastert, who had been serving in the House since 1986, became the longest serving Republican speaker (1999-2007). Hastert led the campaign to elect Tom DeLay , with whom he developed a close and effective partnership, as House Majority Whip. The Republicans came out of the 2000 elections with a further reduced majority but made small gains in 2002 and 2004. The periods of 2001–2002 and 2003–2007 were

1089-597: A deliberate campaign to smear the LGBT community." Some scientists whose work is cited by the socially conservative group the American College of Pediatricians – which was created following the American Academy of Pediatrics ' endorsement of adoption by same-sex couples and to which FRC points for evidence supporting its positions – have said the organization has distorted or misrepresented their work and

1210-486: A democratic society is tantamount to suggesting that the objects of criticism should be the targets of criminal violence." Potok posted that "The SPLC has listed the FRC as a hate group since 2010 because it has knowingly spread false and denigrating propaganda about LGBT people — not, as some claim, because it opposes same-sex marriage." Tony Perkins has blamed the constitutional separation of church and state for encouraging

1331-414: A federal conscience clause , allowing medical workers to refuse to provide certain treatments to their patients, such as abortion or birth control . It also advocates for abstinence-only sex education , intelligent design , prayer in public schools and the regulation of pornography and other " obscene , indecent , or profane programming" on broadcast and cable television . It unsuccessfully opposed

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1452-494: A former Whig of unclear partisan loyalties, who was finally elected speaker on February 1, 1860. In December 1923, at the start of the 68th Congress , Republican Frederick H. Gillett needed nine ballots to win reelection. Progressive Republicans had refused to support Gillett in the first eight ballots. Only after winning concessions from Republican conference leaders (a seat on the House Rules Committee and

1573-541: A lobbying disclosure report. The US House of Representatives resolution condemned the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill , a bill which, among other things, would have imposed either the death penalty or life imprisonment for sexual relations between persons of the same sex. Following exposure of the lobbying contribution in June 2010, FRC issued a statement denying that they were trying to kill

1694-604: A lobbying disclosure report. Uganda would go on to pass the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill , a bill which would have imposed either the death penalty or life imprisonment for sexual relations between persons of the same sex. On 1 August 2014, however, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the act invalid on procedural grounds. In 2010, the Southern Poverty Law Center classified FRC as an anti-LGBT hate group due to what it says are

1815-494: A minor became public. On August 15, 2012, Floyd Lee Corkins II, a resident of nearby Herndon, Virginia , entered the lobby of the FRC's Washington, D.C. headquarters with a 9mm pistol and two magazines with 50 rounds of ammunition. Corkins shot an unarmed security guard, 46-year-old Leonardo Johnson, in the left arm. Although injured, Johnson assisted others who wrestled Corkins to the ground until police arrived and placed him under arrest. Politico reported that "Corkins

1936-534: A non-member to serve as Speaker would effectively exempt Speakers from the eligibility requirements of the House Qualifications Clause of Article I, Section II and from being bound by an oath of office under the Oath or Affirmation Clause of Article VI as opposed to House members. The House Qualifications Clause requires that "No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to

2057-399: A place for social conservatives across the nation to hear Republican presidential hopefuls' platforms. Since 2007 a straw poll has been taken as a means of providing an early prediction of which candidate will win the endorsement of Christian conservatives. In 2010, FRC paid $ 25,000 to congressional lobbyists for what they described as "Res.1064 Ugandan Resolution Pro-homosexual promotion" in

2178-429: A pledge that requested House rules changes would be considered) did they agree to support him. In 1997, several Republican congressional leaders tried to force Speaker Newt Gingrich to resign. However, Gingrich refused since that would have required a new election for speaker, which could have led to Democrats along with dissenting Republicans voting for Democrat Dick Gephardt (then minority leader) as speaker. After

2299-527: A public statement calling the shooting "an act of domestic terrorism" and criticizing the Southern Poverty Law Center for being "reckless in labeling organizations as hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy." SPLC spokesman Mark Potok called Perkins' accusation "outrageous", and in a statement said: "The FRC and its allies on the religious right are saying, in effect, that offering legitimate and fact-based criticism in

2420-409: A speakership election with the opposite party's delegation participating. Finally, it was agreed to exclude both delegations from the election and a speaker was finally chosen on December 17. Another, more prolonged fight occurred in 1855 in the 34th United States Congress . The old Whig Party had collapsed but no single party had emerged to replace it. Candidates opposing the Democrats had run under

2541-452: A specified period of time." The list of the members with this duty (usually political allies of the speaker, or members from districts close to Washington and thus better able to hold pro forma sessions) is made public. The first speaker of the House, Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania , was elected to office on April 1, 1789, the day the House organized itself at the start of the 1st Congress . He served two non-consecutive terms in

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2662-458: A vice presidential poll was held in addition to the presidential contest. Carson won that poll with 22%, followed by Cruz's 14% and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal 's 11%. With these two polls, Cruz set two records for the summit presidential polls; the first person to win more than one poll, and the highest percentage ever won in any poll since it started in 2007 (with his margin of 42% in 2013). The 2015 conference (the last one to be held before

2783-441: Is "by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects." The Council also asserts that "there is no convincing evidence that a homosexual identity is ever something genetic or inborn". These positions are in opposition to the consensus of mainstream psychological and medical experts that homosexuality is a normal, healthy variation of human behavior, and that sexual orientation

2904-518: Is a member of ProtectMarriage.com , a coalition formed to sponsor California Proposition 8 to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples only, which passed in 2008 (but was later struck down as unconstitutional by a federal court in California ). The Council publishes The Washington Stand periodical of news and commentary from the council's perspective. Justice Sunday was the name for three religious conferences organized by FRC and Focus on

3025-463: Is actually firm in concluding the opposite." In 2017, at the council-sponsored Values Voter Summit , a tote bag was distributed to all attendees that included a copy of a flyer entitled "The Health Hazards of Homosexuality" written by MassResistance , which the SPLC has also designated as a hate group. An amicus brief submitted in relation to United States v. Windsor (which struck down part of

3146-501: Is generally not chosen. Certain FRC statements and positions have been criticized as based upon pseudo/junk science ; according to Wired , the group has misrepresented data and mis-designed sociological studies in order to negatively depict LGBT people. FRC also states that "[s]ympathy must be extended to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions, and every effort should be made to assist such persons to overcome those attractions, as many already have". Evidence on

3267-513: Is instead delegated to members of the House from the majority party—nor regularly participate in floor debates. The Constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, although every speaker thus far has been, and as a member the speaker also represents their district and retains the right to vote. The speaker is second in the United States presidential line of succession , after

3388-493: Is the only speaker of the House who was later elected president of the United States. Toward the end of the 19th century, the office of speaker began to develop into a very powerful one. At the time, one of the most important sources of the speaker's power was his position as Chairman of the Committee on Rules , which, after the reorganization of the committee system in 1880, became one of the most powerful standing committees of

3509-485: The 2016 Republican primaries began) was held from September 25 to September 27. This notably coincided with the announcement of the resignation of Speaker of the House John Boehner on the 25th. When Florida Senator Marco Rubio made the announcement, the entire audience erupted into applause at the news. Subsequently, the results of the presidential straw poll saw the same exact top three candidates for

3630-598: The 36th Congress met in December 1859. Although the Republicans held a plurality, the Republican candidate, John Sherman , was unacceptable to southern oppositionists due to his anti-slavery views, and once again the House was unable to elect a speaker. After Democrats allied with southern oppositionists to nearly elect the North Carolina oppositionist William N. H. Smith , Sherman finally withdrew in favor of compromise candidate William Pennington of New Jersey,

3751-501: The American Sociological Association for using "anti-gay pseudoscience" to falsely conflate homosexuality and pedophilia , and to falsely claim that the children of same-sex parents suffer from more mental health problems. FRC was formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson and incorporated in 1983. In the late 1980s, FRC officially became a division of Dobson's main organization, Focus on

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3872-580: The Defense of Marriage Act ) argued that DOMA did not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, and their amicus brief in Obergefell v. Hodges argued against same-sex marriage. An article written by Travis Weber, the director of the Council's Center for Religious Liberty, was highly critical of both Supreme Court decisions. The FRC, on January 28, 2013, issued an amicus brief in support of

3993-724: The Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act cases before the Supreme Court, arguing for the court to uphold DOMA banning federal recognition of same-sex unions and Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in California. On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Windsor that the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally deprived gay and lesbian couples of liberty, and in Hollingsworth v. Perry that Proposition 8's proponents had no standing to defend

4114-438: The United States federal government shutdown of 1995 and 1996 , in which Clinton was largely seen to have prevailed. Gingrich's hold on the leadership was weakened significantly by that and several other controversies, and he faced a caucus revolt in 1997. After the Republicans lost House seats in 1998 (although retaining a majority) he did not stand for a third term as speaker. His successor, Dennis Hastert , had been chosen as

4235-449: The War of 1812 , and various laws relating to Clay's " American System " economic plan. Furthermore, when no candidate received an Electoral College majority in the 1824 presidential election , causing the president to be elected by the House, Speaker Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson , thereby ensuring Adams' victory. Following Clay's retirement in 1825,

4356-486: The vice president and ahead of the president pro tempore of the Senate . The 56th and current Speaker of the House is Mike Johnson , a Republican from Louisiana . The House elects its speaker at the beginning of a new Congress, biennially , after a general election , or when a speaker dies, resigns, or is removed from the position during a congressional term. At the start of a new Congress, those voting to elect

4477-578: The 1998 midterm elections where the Republicans lost seats, Gingrich did not stand for re-election. The next two figures in the House Republican leadership hierarchy, Majority Leader Richard Armey and Majority Whip Tom DeLay chose not to run for the office. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee , Bob Livingston , declared his bid for the speakership, which was unopposed, making him speaker-designate. It

4598-403: The 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections. The Democrats won a majority of seats in the 2006 midterm elections. On November 16, 2006, Nancy Pelosi , who was then minority leader, was selected as speaker-designate by House Democrats. When the 110th Congress convened on January 4, 2007, she was elected as the 52nd speaker by a vote of 233–202, becoming the first woman elected speaker of the House. Pelosi

4719-420: The 234 representatives being 83 Democrats, 108 Republicans, and 43 Know Nothings (primarily southern oppositionists). The Democratic minority nominated William Alexander Richardson of Illinois as speaker, but because of sectional distrust, the various oppositionists were unable to agree on a single candidate for speaker. The Republicans supported Nathaniel Prentice Banks of Massachusetts, who had been elected as

4840-619: The Age of twenty-five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States ". The Oath or Affirmation Clause provides that "The ... Representatives before mentioned... and all executive and judicial Officers ... of the United States ... shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution". Pursuant to Article VI, the 1st United States Congress passed the Oath Administration Act (that remains in effect) which provides that "...the oath or affirmation [required by

4961-591: The CPAC are now sponsors or participants in the Values Voter Summit. The 2011 conference was held on October 7–8, 2011. All of the major 2012 Republican presidential candidates spoke except Jon Huntsman, Jr. All eight of them were subsequently included in the presidential straw poll, where Texas congressman Ron Paul won. However, his win was discounted by the Family Research Council . Businessman Herman Cain finished second, followed by former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum . The 2013 and 2014 conferences both saw

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5082-585: The Confederation Delegate Tench Coxe publicly wrote the following: The house of representatives is not, as the Senate, to have a president chosen for them from without their body, but are to elect their speaker from their own number . . . . Noting that the Vesting Clause of Article I, Section I states that "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of

5203-714: The Constitution]... might require a regular course of practice to liquidate [and] settle the meaning of some of them." In holding in NLRB v. Noel Canning that the Recess Appointments Clause of Article II, Section II does not authorize the President to make appointments while the Senate is in pro forma sessions , the Supreme Court cited Marbury v. Madison (1803) and McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) in concluding that "The longstanding 'practice of

5324-509: The Democrats stripped him of his seniority, and he lost all of his committee posts. Upon election, the new speaker is sworn in by the dean of the United States House of Representatives , the chamber's longest-serving member. Additionally, it is customary for the outgoing speaker, or the minority leader, to hand the speaker's gavel to the new speaker, as a mark of the peaceful transition of power . While every speaker of

5445-613: The Family in 2005 and 2006. According to FRC, the purpose of the events was to "request an end to filibusters of judicial nominees that were based, at least in part, on the nominees' religious views or imputed inability to decide cases on the basis of the law regardless of their beliefs." Every fall, FRC Action (the political action group affiliated with FRC) holds an annual summit composed for conservative Christian activists and evangelical voters in Washington, D.C. The summit has been

5566-622: The Family , the Council submitted an amicus brief in Lawrence v. Texas , the U.S. Supreme Court case in which anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional on privacy grounds. The summary of the amicus curiae brief declares that "[states] may discourage the 'evils' ... of sexual acts outside of marriage by means up to and including criminal prohibition" and that it is constitutionally permissible for Texas to "choose to protect marital intimacy by prohibiting same-sex 'deviate' acts". Similar positions have been advocated by representatives of

5687-464: The Family ; however, after an administrative separation, FRC became an independent entity in 1992. Tony Perkins is its current president. FRC is affiliated with a lobbying PAC known as FRC Action, of which Josh Duggar was the executive director from 2013 until 2015. The FRC is active outside of the United States; in 2010, FRC paid $ 25,000 to congressional lobbyists for what they described as "Res.1064 Ugandan Resolution Pro-homosexual promotion" in

5808-586: The Family Research Council, an important sponsor of the Summit, was included on the Southern Poverty Law Center 's list of organizations designated by as anti-LGBT hate groups . The SPLC argues the Family Research Council is trying "to make the case that the LGBT community is a threat to American society" and that Tony Perkins falsely claimed high rates of pedophilia among the LGBT community. In 2012 columnist Dana Milbank , while disagreeing with

5929-423: The Family Research Council, criticized their being so listed as reckless after gunman Floyd Lee Corkins had stated of his attack of the Family Research Council, "Southern Poverty Law lists anti-gay groups. I found them online." The SPLC has defended their own position and in 2017 stated of the Summit itself, "The Values Voter Summit is an annual political conference bringing together some of the most extreme groups on

6050-519: The House has been a sitting House member, Article I, Section II, Clause 5, of the U.S. Constitution , concerning the choosing of a speaker, does not explicitly state House membership as a requirement. As noted by the Congressional Research Service , non-members have, on multiple occasions since 1997, received votes in speaker elections . In 1787, while the proposed Constitution was being considered, Pennsylvania Congress of

6171-432: The House on January 7, 2023, after the longest multi-ballot speaker election since 1859. McCarthy was eventually removed as speaker on October 3, 2023, after a further split in the Republican caucus, with five House Freedom Caucus members voting against McCarthy, which when combined with votes of Democrats, resulted in the ouster of McCarthy. This was the first time in the history of the House of Representatives in which

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6292-473: The House, becoming the first woman to hold the position. President Bush acknowledged Pelosi as the first woman in that position in the opening of his 2007 State of the Union Address . John Boehner was elected speaker when the 112th Congress convened on January 5, 2011, and was re-elected twice, at the start of the 113th and 114th Congresses. On both of those occasions his remaining in office

6413-459: The House. Representatives who choose to vote for someone other than their party's nominee usually vote for someone else in their party or vote " present ", in which case their vote does not count in tallying the vote positively or negatively. Anyone who votes for the other party's candidate could face serious consequences, as was the case when Democrat James Traficant voted for Republican Dennis Hastert in 2001 ( 107th Congress ). In response,

6534-569: The House. Furthermore, several speakers became leading figures in their political parties; examples include Democrats Samuel J. Randall , John Griffin Carlisle , and Charles F. Crisp , and Republicans James G. Blaine , Thomas Brackett Reed , and Joseph Gurney Cannon . The power of the speaker was greatly augmented during the tenure of the Republican Thomas Brackett Reed (1889–1891, 1895–1899). "Czar Reed", as he

6655-511: The Rules Committee, and determined which committee heard each bill. He vigorously used his powers to ensure that Republican proposals were passed by the House. In 1910, however, Democrats and several dissatisfied Republicans joined to strip Cannon of many of his powers, including the ability to name committee members and his chairmanship of the Rules Committee. Fifteen years later, Speaker Nicholas Longworth restored much, but not all, of

6776-661: The Speaker is a House member in requiring the Speaker's resignation upon succession to the Presidency due to the Ineligibility Clause of Article I, Section VI . The Ineligibility Clause provides that "No ... Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States... and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be

6897-415: The Speaker of the House was successfully removed. Following a multi-day four-ballot election, Mike Johnson was elected speaker on October 25, 2023. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Historically, there have been several controversial elections to the speakership, such as the contest of 1839. In that case, even though the 26th United States Congress convened on December 2, the House could not begin

7018-612: The [H]ouse", while former House Intelligence Committee General Counsel Michael Ellis and attorney Greg Dubinsky have argued that the Speaker must be a House member because the Speaker performs various legislative functions that other House officers (such as the Sergeant at Arms and the Clerk ) do not perform. Schaub and the CRS also note that the text of the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 assumes that

7139-554: The agenda of the majority party, often at the expense of the minority opposition. This can be seen, most of all, in the speakership of Democratic-Republican Henry Clay , who personally ensured the presidential victory of fellow Democratic-Republican John Quincy Adams . Democrat Sam Rayburn was a key player in the passing of New Deal legislation under the presidency of fellow Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt . Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon (under Theodore Roosevelt )

7260-479: The appointment is approved by the House. Separately, a speaker pro tempore is designated in the event the office of the speaker is declared vacant. Under the current Rules of the House, at the start of their term, the speaker is required to create a secret ordered list of members to temporarily serve as speaker of the House if the speakership became vacant and to provide the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives this list "as soon as practicable after"

7381-512: The authority to appoint a majority of the members of the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the power of committee chairmen was curtailed, further increasing the relative influence of the speaker. Albert's successor, Democrat Tip O'Neill , was a prominent speaker because of his public opposition to the policies of President Ronald Reagan . O'Neill is the longest continuously serving speaker, from 1977 through 1987. He challenged Reagan on domestic programs and on defense expenditures. Republicans made O'Neill

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7502-617: The bill, but rather that they wanted to change the language of the bill "to remove sweeping and inaccurate assertions that homosexual conduct is internationally recognized as a fundamental human right." They further stated, "FRC does not support the Uganda bill, and does not support the death penalty for homosexuality – nor any other penalty which would have the effect of inhibiting compassionate pastoral, psychological, and medical care and treatment for those who experience same-sex attractions or who engage in homosexual conduct". The Ugandan Resolution

7623-405: The body's presiding officer in the speaker's absence, is separate from the speaker's designation of multiple members as speakers pro tempore for the purpose of allowing them to sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions . The House Rules state: "With the approval of the House, the Speaker may appoint a Member to act as Speaker pro tempore only to sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions for

7744-895: The conference but to hear his speech and vote. I give them credit for being organized." Family Research Council Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The Family Research Council ( FRC ) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values . It opposes and lobbies against access to pornography , embryonic stem-cell research , abortion , divorce , and LGBT rights —such as anti-discrimination laws , same-sex marriage , same-sex civil unions , and LGBT adoption . The FRC has been criticized by media sources and professional organizations such as

7865-467: The effect of 'I don't like your politics. ' " Corkins had served as a volunteer at an LGBT community center. In January 2013, Corkins pleaded guilty to two charges in the District of Columbia , possession of a handgun during a violent crime and assault with intent to kill, and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, a federal charge. He was found mentally ill and, in September 2013,

7986-678: The effectiveness of sexual orientation change efforts is limited; according to a 2009 publication from the American Psychological Association, "[there] are no studies of adequate scientific rigor to conclude whether or not recent [sexual orientation change efforts] do or do not work to change a person's sexual orientation." In 2012, Rob Schwartzwalder, then a senior vice president at FRC, wrote: "To love people who identify as gays or lesbians means to extend grace to them: to welcome them as friends, to care for them when ill, and to respect them as persons whose creation

8107-536: The election "and whenever appropriate thereafter." The names are only revealed in the event of a vacancy (e.g., by the speaker's death, resignation, incapacitation, or removal from office). This "succession list" procedure was created in 2003, following the September 11 attacks , to promote continuity of government . Rule I, clause 8, of the House Rules states the member whose name appears first on

8228-520: The election of Representative Mike Johnson . This came after two weeks of negotiations between Republicans, including three failed votes for Speaker. In total, there have been 16 elections requiring multiple ballots to elect a speaker, with 13 before the American Civil War , one in 1923, and two in 2023. The Constitution does not spell out the political role of the speaker. As the office has developed historically, however, it has taken on

8349-658: The first ballot, necessitating an additional round of balloting for the first time since 1923. McCarthy ultimately prevailed when the remaining six anti-McCarthy holdouts voted " present " on the 15th ballot, ending the longest multiple-ballot speaker election since before the Civil War. He was removed from office less than ten months later, the first time in American History the House voted to remove its incumbent speaker. This led to multiple rounds of voting across multiple weeks to replace him, ultimately leading to

8470-614: The first times since 1953–1955 that there was single-party Republican leadership in Washington, interrupted from 2001 to 2003 as Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont left the Republican Party to become independent and caucused with Senate Democrats to give them a 51–49 majority. In the 2006 midterm elections, the Democratic Party regained control of the House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of

8591-463: The first woman to hold the office, Pelosi became the first speaker to return to power since Sam Rayburn in the 1950s. Following the 2022 midterm elections which saw the election of a narrow Republican Party majority in the House, Pelosi did not seek a Democratic leadership post in the next Congress. The Democratic Caucus named her "Speaker Emerita". Kevin McCarthy then became the new Speaker of

8712-433: The form of marriage or civil unions . It has opposed all forms of gambling . The Council has questioned whether humans are mainly or completely responsible for climate change , and has opposed other evangelicals who accepted the scientific consensus on it . The FRC maintains that "homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed", and asserts that it

8833-514: The government' ... can inform [the] determination of 'what the law is ' ". Under the Rules of the House, the speaker may designate a member to serve as speaker pro tempore , acting as the body's presiding officer in the speaker's absence. In most instances, the speaker pro tempore designation lasts for no more than three legislative days, although in the case of illness of the speaker, the speaker pro tempore may serve for ten legislative days if

8954-502: The group's "false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science" in an effort to block LGBT civil rights. In 2012, the FRC's headquarters were attacked by a gunman, resulting in an injury to a security guard, in connection with this designation. The Council was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1983. James Dobson , Armand Nicholi Jr. , and George Rekers were some of its founding board members. In 1988, following financial difficulties, FRC

9075-503: The introduction of an .xxx domain name and lobbied for an increase in indecency fines from the Federal Communications Commission . The group holds that hotel pornography may be prosecutable under federal and state obscenity laws. It opposed the expansion of civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as illegal bases for discrimination . Family Research Council supports

9196-533: The law, leaving in place a lower-court ruling overturning the ban. FRC is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025 , a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election . Family Research Council

9317-401: The leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives and served as House minority leader for eight years before she led her party to victory in the 2018 elections. Following the 2018 midterm elections which saw the election of a Democratic Party majority in the House, Nancy Pelosi was again elected speaker when the 116th Congress convened on January 3, 2019. In addition to being

9438-414: The likelihood of child molestation by homosexuals and bisexuals has been found to be no higher than child molestation by heterosexuals ; as Newsweek put it, "[f]or decades, the [FRC] has smeared homosexuals in its publications, insinuating that gay people are more likely to sexually abuse children" and an analysis by John Aravosis concluded that FRC "cherry-picks and distorts evidence as part of

9559-526: The list "shall act as Speaker pro tempore until the election of a Speaker or a Speaker pro tempore ." The speaker pro tempore is not in the line of succession for the presidency . Following the removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker in October 2023 on a motion to vacate (the first time in history that a speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives was successfully removed by the House), Patrick McHenry

9680-560: The lost influence of the position. One of the most influential speakers in history was Democrat Sam Rayburn . Rayburn had the most cumulative time as speaker in history, holding office from 1940 to 1947, 1949 to 1953, and 1955 to 1961. He helped shape many bills, working quietly in the background with House committees. He also helped ensure the passage of several domestic measures and foreign assistance programs advocated by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman . Rayburn's successor, Democrat John W. McCormack (served 1962–1971),

9801-405: The majority members of each House standing committee, including the Rules committee (although it's worth to note their appointment to the said committees must be ratified by a resolution of the full House). While the speaker is the functioning head of the House majority party, the same is not true of the president pro tempore of the Senate, whose office is primarily ceremonial and honorary. When

9922-434: The minority party or rejecting bills by the Senate. One famous instance came in the form of Thomas Brackett Reed (under Grover Cleveland ), a speaker notorious for his successful attempt to force the Democrats to vote on measures where the Republicans had clear majorities, which ensured that Cleveland's Democrats were in no position to challenge the Republicans in the House. Joseph Cannon was particularly unique in that he led

10043-503: The organization has been criticized by Psychology Today for making "false statements ... that have the potential to harm LGBT youth". The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designated the FRC as a hate group in its Winter 2010 Intelligence Report . Mother Jones reported that "The Southern Poverty Law Center's classification of FRC as a hate group stems from FRC's more than decade-long insistence that gay people are more likely to molest children. ...Research from non-ideological outfits

10164-596: The organization since Lawrence was decided in 2003. In February 2010, Family Research Council's senior researcher for policy studies, Peter Sprigg, stated on NBC's Hardball that same-sex behavior should be outlawed and that "criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior" should be enforced. Three months later, in May 2010, Sprigg publicly suggested that repealing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy would encourage molestation of heterosexual service members. In November 2010, Perkins

10285-421: The organizers are opposition to abortion and to same-sex marriage , and a strong national defense. The Los Angeles Times describes the conference as combination rally, revival meeting, political convention and bazaar." The conference typically includes appearances from Republican potential presidential candidates vying for the support of the crucial social conservative base of the party. Featured guests at

10406-420: The other hand, when the speaker and the president belong to opposite parties, the public role and influence of the speaker tend to increase. As the highest-ranking member of the opposition party (and de facto leader of the opposition ), the speaker is normally the chief public opponent of the president's agenda. In this scenario, the speaker is known for undercutting the president's agenda by blocking measures by

10527-636: The power of the speakership once again began to decline, despite speakership elections becoming increasingly bitter. As the Civil War approached, several sectional factions nominated their own candidates, often making it difficult for any candidate to attain a majority. In 1855 and again in 1859, for example, the contest for speaker lasted for two months before the House achieved a result. Speakers tended to have very short tenures during this period. For example, from 1839 to 1863 there were eleven speakers, only one of whom served for more than one term. James K. Polk

10648-426: The purposes of determining a quorum. Through these and other rulings, Reed ensured that the Democrats could not block the Republican agenda. The speakership reached its apogee during the term of Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon (1903–1911). Cannon exercised extraordinary control over the legislative process. He determined the agenda of the House, appointed the members of all committees, chose committee chairmen, headed

10769-552: The requirement of a one-year waiting period before a married couple with children can legally get a divorce so that they can receive marital counseling, unless the marriage involves domestic violence . FRC also supports permanently eliminating the marriage penalty and estate taxes . The Council opposes legalized abortion, stem-cell research which involves the destruction of human embryos and funding thereof. (It advocates for research solely using adult stem cells .) It opposes legal recognition of same-sex domestic partnerships in

10890-519: The right, including multiple designated hate groups" and cited the presence of speakers they designate as anti-Islamic along with organizations they deem anti-LGBT hate groups. In 2017 Newsweek also referred to the Summit as a "Hate Group" per the SPLC descriptions. A presidential straw poll has been held each year since 2007: Overall, Mike Huckabee has appeared in more VVS polls than anyone else, with 5 (2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2015). Mitt Romney has

11011-409: The rise of ISIS and similar Islamic extremist groups. The FRC has opposed efforts to make the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine mandatory for school attendance. HPV is a virus that can be transmitted by sexual contact , that can cause cervical cancer . FRC defends its position on the basis of the rights of parents and because of its support for abstinence prior to marriage. It supports

11132-442: The roll call. To be elected speaker, a candidate must receive a majority of votes from the members present and voting. If no candidate wins a majority, the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected. Representatives are free to vote for someone other than the candidate nominated by their party but generally do not, as the outcome of the election effectively demonstrates which party has the majority and consequently will organize

11253-403: The same two candidates in the top two slots for the presidential straw poll for the first time ever, with Texas senator Ted Cruz and former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson in first and second, respectively. In 2013, Cruz had 42% to Carson's 13%, and in 2014, the gap shortened with Cruz taking only 25% to Carson's 20%. In addition, the 2014 poll marked the first time in the history of the summit that

11374-520: The second annual conference in 2007, the summit began holding its own presidential straw poll, similarly to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and other conferences. The winner of the first presidential straw poll, of about 5,776 votes, was former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney , who would later go on to be the runner-up of the 2008 primaries before winning the nomination in 2012 . After

11495-464: The second year in a row: Cruz once again came in first, with Carson in second, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in third. Businessman Donald Trump , then the frontrunner for the nomination in all major national polls, came in fifth place with only 5% of the vote. In October 2017, addressing the annual gathering for the third time, President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to do so and spoke for about thirty minutes. In 2010

11616-486: The second-highest amount, with 4 (2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011). Two individuals have appeared three times: Ted Cruz and Ben Carson (both in 2013, 2014, and 2015). If the 2014 vice presidential poll is counted, then both Carson and Cruz's totals increase to four each, matching Romney. And five individuals have appeared twice: Ron Paul (2007 and 2011), Mike Pence (2009 and 2010), Newt Gingrich (2010 and 2011), Rick Santorum (2011 and 2013), and Marco Rubio (2013 and 2015). After it

11737-500: The sins for which Ugandans must repent. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives , commonly known as the speaker of the House or House Speaker , is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives . The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section II , of the U.S. Constitution . By custom and House rules,

11858-544: The sixth article of the Constitution of the United States]… shall be administered ... to the Speaker". Like the U.S. Supreme Court 's ruling in NLRB v. Noel Canning (2014), Ellis and Dubinsky cite an 1819 letter written by James Madison to Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Judge Spencer Roane where Madison stated that "difficulties and differences of opinion [arising] in expounding terms [and] phrases ... used [in

11979-433: The speaker and the president belong to the same party, the speaker tends to play the role in a more ceremonial light, as seen when Dennis Hastert played a very restrained role during the presidency of fellow Republican George W. Bush . Nevertheless, when the speaker and the president belong to the same party, there are also times that the speaker plays a much larger role, and the speaker is tasked, e.g., with pushing through

12100-410: The speaker are representatives-elect, as a speaker must be selected before members are sworn in to office; the House of Representatives cannot organize or take other legislative actions until a speaker is elected. Since 1839, the House has elected speakers by roll call vote . In practice, each party's caucus or conference selects a candidate for the speakership from among its senior leaders prior to

12221-402: The speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House and is simultaneously its presiding officer, de facto leader of the body's majority party , and the institution's administrative head. Speakers also perform various other administrative and procedural functions. Given these several roles and responsibilities, the speaker usually does not personally preside over debates—that duty

12342-474: The speaker usually does not participate in debate and only votes on the most significant bills. The speaker is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. In pursuing this goal, the speaker may use their influence over the Rules committee , which is in charge of the business of the House . The speaker chairs the majority party's House steering committee, which selects

12463-410: The speaker's chair, 1789–1791 (1st Congress) and 1793–1795 ( 3rd Congress ). As the Constitution does not state the duties of the speaker, the speaker's role has largely been shaped by rules and customs that evolved over time. Scholars are divided as to whether early speakers played largely ceremonial and impartial roles or whether they were more active partisan actors. From early in its existence,

12584-402: The speaker's primary function had been to keep order and enforce rules. The speakership was transformed into a position with power over the legislative process under Henry Clay (1811–1814, 1815–1820, and 1823–1825). In contrast to many of his predecessors, Clay participated in several debates and used his influence to procure the passage of measures he supported—for instance, the declaration of

12705-602: The speakership election until December 14 because of an election dispute in New Jersey known as the " Broad Seal War ". Two rival delegations, one Whig and the other Democrat, had been certified as elected by different branches of the New Jersey government. The problem was compounded by the fact that the result of the dispute would determine whether the Whigs or the Democrats held the majority. Neither party agreed to permit

12826-523: The summit have included right-wing commentators Sean Hannity , Bill O'Reilly , Ann Coulter , in addition to numerous elected officials and other conservative figures. Co-sponsors of the event included other Christian political action groups, including AFA Action, part of the American Family Association , The Heritage Foundation , Liberty University , Liberty Counsel , and Gary Bauer 's organization American Values. Starting with

12947-446: The target of their election campaigns in 1980 and 1982 but Democrats managed to retain their majorities in both years. The roles of the parties reversed in 1994 when, after spending forty years in the minority, the Republicans regained control of the House with the " Contract with America ", an idea spearheaded by Minority Whip Newt Gingrich . Speaker Gingrich would regularly clash with Democratic President Bill Clinton , leading to

13068-409: Was a somewhat less influential speaker, particularly because of dissent from younger members of the Democratic Party. During the mid-1970s, the power of the speakership once again grew under Democrat Carl Albert . The Committee on Rules ceased to be a semi-independent panel, as it had been since 1910. Instead, it once again became an arm of the party leadership. Moreover, in 1975, the speaker was granted

13189-466: Was announced that Ron Paul had won the 2011 straw poll with 37% of the vote, it was reported that many of his votes came from the over 600 people who registered just before the poll closed on the second and final day of the conference. Family Research Council president Tony Perkins all but discredited Paul's victory, saying, "I don’t think Ron Paul is truly reflective of where values voters stand." He also said, "Ron Paul bussed in over 600 people not to attend

13310-550: Was asked about Sprigg's comments regarding the criminalization of same-sex behavior: he responded that criminalizing homosexuality is not a goal of Family Research Council. Perkins repeated FRC's association of homosexuals with pedophilia , stating: "If you look at the American College of Pediatricians, they say the research is overwhelming that homosexuality poses a danger to children." Perkins' statements have been contradicted by mainstream social science research, and

13431-399: Was called by his opponents, sought to end the obstruction of bills by the minority, in particular by countering the tactic known as the " disappearing quorum ". By refusing to vote on a motion, the minority could ensure that a quorum would not be achieved and that the result would be invalid. Reed, however, declared that members who were in the chamber but refused to vote would still count for

13552-604: Was carrying 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches that he intended to smear on employees’ faces in a political statement, he told the FBI." The FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department investigated jointly "to determine motive/intent and whether a hate crime/terrorism nexus exists." During his FBI interview, Corkins was asked how he chose his target. His response was "Southern Poverty Law lists anti-gay groups. I found them online." Corkins had told Johnson "words to

13673-584: Was incorporated into Focus on the Family , and Gary Bauer joined the organization as president. FRC remained under the Focus on the Family umbrella until 1992, when it separated out of concern for Focus' tax-exempt status. Tony Perkins joined FRC as its president in 2003. On June 18, 2013, Josh Duggar was named executive director of FRC Action, the non-profit and tax-exempt legislative action arm of Family Research Council. Duggar resigned his position on May 21, 2015, after his history of sexual misconduct as

13794-539: Was ordained by the God of the universe and for whom the Son of God died. Such love will oppose attempts to legalize homosexual marriage, as to do so would vindicate a corruption of that which God intended. ...To love homosexuals means that believing churches cannot accept those practicing or advocating homosexuality as members, ministers, or leaders any more than persons living in any other kind of sexual sin." Jointly with Focus on

13915-408: Was particularly infamous for his marginalization of the minority Democrats and centralizing of authority to the speakership. In more recent times, Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a role in continuing the push for health care reform during the presidency of fellow Democrat Barack Obama and in pushing for increases in infrastructure and climate spending during the presidency of Democrat Joe Biden . On

14036-489: Was reelected speaker in the 111th Congress, and again in the 116th and 117th Congresses. The January 2023 speakership election occurred two months after the 2022 House elections in which the Republicans won a slim four-seat majority. Kevin McCarthy was nominated for speaker by the House Republican Conference but due to a division among the Republicans, no one received a majority of the votes on

14157-419: Was revealed to be the first name on McCarthy's list and became acting speaker. The intent of the rule was for the speaker pro tempore to serve for a short period, until the House elected a new speaker, but the House rules set no specific limit on the length of time that a member may be speaker pro tempore . The designation of a speaker pro tempore for purposes of succession, and for purposes of serving as

14278-548: Was revived by Uganda's President Museveni in 2012. On 1 August 2014, however, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the act invalid on procedural grounds. The FRC used one of Museveni's speeches in an e-mail to its supporters praising Uganda's commitment to Christian faith and "national repentance" around the time that he reintroduced the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The speech did not refer to homosexuality specifically, but did mention "sexual immorality" among

14399-416: Was sentenced to 25 years in prison. On the day of the shooting, the SPLC, along with a joint statement of 25 LGBT groups, condemned Corkins' action. The National Organization for Marriage , an active campaigner against same-sex marriage , issued a statement saying "Today's attack is the clearest sign we've seen that labeling pro-marriage groups as 'hateful' must end". FRC president Tony Perkins issued

14520-429: Was then revealed, by Livingston himself, who had been publicly critical of President Bill Clinton 's alleged perjury during his sexual harassment trial, that he had engaged in an extramarital affair. He opted to resign from the House, despite being urged to stay on by House Democratic leader Gephardt. Subsequently, the chief deputy whip Dennis Hastert was selected as speaker. The Republicans retained their majorities in

14641-503: Was threatened by the defection of several members from his own party who chose not to vote for him. Boehner's tenure as speaker, which ended when he resigned from Congress in October 2015, was marked by multiple battles with the conservatives in his own party related to " Obamacare ", appropriations , among other political issues. This intra-party discord continued under Boehner's successor, Paul Ryan . When Republican leader John Boehner succeeded Pelosi as speaker in 2011, Pelosi remained

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