Everything You Need to Know About Mike Johnson
On October 25, 2023, the House of Representatives elected its 56th Speaker after more than three weeks of attempting to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was historically removed on October 3, 2023. Desperate to return to business after three failed nominations, the Republican Party united behind their fourth choice, a candidate low enough in party ranks to appease moderate sects and staunchly conservative enough to appeal to the far-right: Mike Johnson.
But who is Mike Johnson? Johnson serves as the representative for Louisiana’s Fourth Congressional District, which encompasses sixteen parishes including Caddo Parish and its largest city, Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport. Johnson was elected in 2016 and is now serving his fourth term in Congress. Prior to becoming Speaker, Johnson was Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference and Deputy Whip of the Republican Party.
Though Johnson’s nomination came as a surprise to many Americans due to his relative obscurity, Johnson has been an active champion of far-right ideals in government for over twenty years. Before entering the world of politics, Johnson practiced constitutional law. After receiving his Juris Doctor from Lousiana State University in 1998, he served as senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a self-proclaimed Christian law firm “committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, marriage and family, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.” During his time there, he opposed same-sex marriage at both the state and national level and advocated for sodomy laws that would criminalize homosexuality. From 2004 to 2012, Johnson served on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Convention’s public policy arm which advocates for pro-life legislation, obscenity laws, refugee protections, and religious liberty in schools and businesses. In 2015, Johnson founded a nonprofit legal firm called Freedom Guard which focused on lawsuits regarding religious liberties. Freedom Guard most notably represented the Ark Encounter theme park in a lawsuit against the state of Kentucky, defending the park’s right to require employees to sign a statement stating they hold Creationist beliefs. Freedom Guard is seemingly no longer active.
That same year, Johnson began his political journey by running unopposed to fill the vacant District 8 seat, which accounts for North Bossier City and Benton, in the Louisiana House of Representatives. During his service in the House, Johnson proposed the Marriage and Conscience Act, which would protect “any person or entity” from “adverse treatment by the State” due to their personal beliefs on marriage. The bill was opposed by Louisiana businesses and civil rights supporters and postponed—never to be returned to—by the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee.
In 2016, Johnson decided to run for Congress, telling the Louisiana Baptist Message: “I was called to legal ministry and I’ve been out on the front lines of the ‘culture war’ 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 won the election with a majority of 65.8% and has won every election since, even running unopposed in 2022.
During his time in Congress, Johnson has focused much of his efforts on supporting his Party and opposing progressive legislation. In the 117th Congress, Johnson’s notable votes were in favor of a higher defense budget and against impeaching Former President Trump, controlling gas prices, funding vaccines, codifying protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and married couples, banning assault weapons, and sending aid to Ukraine. In recent months, Johnson has sponsored bills to ban gender-affirming care for minors, pledge support for Israel, establish Congressional term limits, and give present or former Presidents and Vice Presidents the power to move cases from state to federal courts. Throughout his Congressional career, he has served on the Committees on Judiciary; Natural Resources; Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law; Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties; Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet; Armed Services; Readiness; and Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems.
Johnson has never served as chair of these committees or held any senior leadership position in Congress, making him the least experienced Speaker in 140 years. This may prove problematic for Johnson as he lacks the working relationships required to collaborate with people like Senate Minority Leader McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, and President Biden. Johnson’s most notable supporter is Former President Trump, as Johnson served on Trump’s legal team during impeachment proceedings and, drawing on his experience in Constitutional law, spearheaded the amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to interfere with vote counting in swing states of the 2020 election. While these ties have already generated some mistrust of Johnson, he remains largely unknown, which may work in his favor as he appears to lack any significant political enemies. However, only time will tell whether he is suitable for the job.
