Rep. Jerry Nadler announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee next year, avoiding an intra-party fight over a prominent position as the party prepares to confront a second Trump presidency.
Nadler’s decision to relinquish control of the powerful committee came a day after fellow Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin announced his bid for the job and quickly amassed support from colleagues.
“I am also proud that, under my leadership, some of our caucus’s most talented rising stars have been given a platform to demonstrate their leadership and their abilities,” Nadler wrote in the letter to Democrats that was obtained by The Associated Press. “That includes Jamie Raskin, who in just a few terms in Congress has already proven himself to be an exceptional leader and spokesperson for our party’s values.”
The 77-year-old chose to step aside as the Democratic party undergoes an internal reckoning over their losses in the election, which swept Republicans into a trifecta of power in Washington. Many Democrats are eager for generational change and a new approach as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The decision by Nadler, who is serving his 17th term in Congress, reflects that generational shift. Before he made his decision Wednesday morning, Nadler spent time speaking with staff about what his next step should be. He also made a call to Raskin, which was described as cordial by a person familiar with the conversation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
“Jerry Nadler is an extraordinary lawyer, patriot and public servant,” Raskin posted on X. “His dogged defense of civil rights and civil liberties is a great inspiration to our people.”
He added, “I am honored and humbled to have his support in the battles ahead.”
Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries also reached out to Nadler, according to the same person, and offered him an emeritus status on the Judiciary committee, an honorary title that recognizes a member’s seniority and service to the chamber. Nadler said he plans to stay on the committee as a senior member and will likely take up a ranking member role on one of the various subcommittees.
But despite the cordial back-and-forth, the timeline of events that led to Raskin’s surprise bid and Nadler’s swift decision to step down damaged a close friendship between the two men.
Nadler’s staff had expected that there would likely be a challenger for the ranking member spot. And a week before Thanksgiving, they heard that Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, was making the rounds, talking to Democratic colleagues about a potential run.
Nadler, who ran the vote counting operation to successfully land Raskin the top spot on the House Oversight Committee, confronted the Maryland lawmaker, who denied he was making a play for the job, according to the same person. Raskin told him that he would soon put out a letter announcing that he would run for the Oversight post again.
Raskin’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
That letter never came and when Nadler inquired again about it days later, Raskin softened his stance, according to the person, saying that he was hearing from a lot of people that he should run.
On Saturday, reports came out of Raskin pursuing the post before he made it official with a letter to colleagues on Monday.
He wrote that the Judiciary Committee under his leadership would become “the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism” as well as other efforts by Trump and his allies to thwart the Constitution.
It was a stunning turn of events given that over the years Democrats have rarely broken from the seniority system for committee assignments, no matter how long someone has held a position, making the outcome of the race uncertain.
But being the face of the resistance against Trump is not new territory for Raskin who spent the last two years on the House Oversight committee as the most vocal defender of President Joe Biden and his family as they faced a sprawling Republican investigation — encouraged by Trump — into their various business affairs.
He also helped draft articles of impeachment against the incoming president for his encouragement of the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021, and led the impeachment prosecution in the Senate.
“As our country faces the return of Donald Trump, and the renewed threats to our democracy and our way of life that he represents, I am very confident that Jamie would ably lead the Judiciary Committee as we confront this growing danger,” Nadler wrote at the end of his letter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.