Jamie Raskin

Jamie Raskin
Born	Jamin Ben Raskin 13 12, 1962
Birthplace	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, law professor, politician
Known for	Lead impeachment manager for the second impeachment of Donald Trump; constitutional law scholarship
Education	Harvard University (BA, JD)
Children	3
Website	[Official congressional website Official site]

Jamin Ben "Jamie" Raskin (born December 13, 1962) is an American attorney, constitutional law professor, and Democratic politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district since 2017. A progressive Democrat and former Maryland State Senator, Raskin came to national prominence as the lead impeachment manager in the second impeachment of Donald Trump following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Before entering elected politics, he spent more than two decades as a constitutional law professor at American University Washington College of Law, where he co-founded and directed the LL.M. program on law and government and co-founded the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. Raskin previously represented the 20th district in the Maryland State Senate from 2007 to 2016. Since January 2025, he has served as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. His work in the 119th Congress has focused on issues including government oversight, the rule of law, and constitutional accountability.

Early Life

Jamie Raskin was born Jamin Ben Raskin on December 13, 1962, in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Marcus Raskin, a progressive political activist, policy intellectual, and co-founder of the Institute for Policy Studies, and Barbara Bellman. His great-uncle was Max Raskin, who served as a public official. Growing up in Washington, D.C., Raskin was raised in a household steeped in political activism and progressive thought. His father Marcus had served on the staff of the National Security Council under President John F. Kennedy before becoming a prominent critic of American foreign policy and founding the Institute for Policy Studies in 1963.

Raskin's upbringing in the nation's capital, surrounded by the institutions of American government and the ferment of progressive politics, had a formative influence on his intellectual development and his eventual career in constitutional law and public service. The younger Raskin developed an early interest in the Constitution and democratic governance, themes that would come to define his professional and political life.

Education

Raskin attended Harvard University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree. He continued at Harvard Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor (JD). At Harvard, Raskin distinguished himself as a student of constitutional law and legal theory. His education at one of the country's foremost law schools provided the foundation for his subsequent academic career and his extensive engagement with constitutional questions relating to democratic governance, civil liberties, and the structure of American government.

Career

Academic Career

Following his legal education, Raskin joined the faculty of American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., where he became a professor of constitutional law. Over the course of more than two decades on the faculty, Raskin established himself as a scholar of constitutional law, the First Amendment, and the structure of democratic governance. He co-founded and directed the law school's LL.M. program on law and government, a graduate-level program designed for attorneys seeking advanced training in the intersection of law and public policy.

Raskin also co-founded the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, an initiative that sends law students into public high schools to teach courses on constitutional law and civil liberties. The project, named after Thurgood Marshall and William J. Brennan Jr., two noted Supreme Court justices, has been replicated at law schools across the United States.

As a scholar, Raskin authored several books and numerous articles on constitutional law, election law, and democratic theory. Among his published works is We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About Students, a book aimed at making constitutional law accessible to younger audiences.

Maryland State Senate (2007–2016)

Raskin entered electoral politics with a campaign for the Maryland State Senate, seeking to represent the 20th district, which encompasses parts of Montgomery County, a suburban county northwest of Washington, D.C. He succeeded Ida G. Ruben in the seat and took office on January 10, 2007.

During his tenure in the Maryland State Senate, Raskin was an active legislator on a range of issues. He introduced and championed legislation related to civil liberties, voting rights, environmental protection, and criminal justice reform. Among his notable legislative efforts in Annapolis were:

• Senate Bill 634 (2007): Raskin introduced legislation during the 2007 regular session addressing policy matters in the state.

• Senate Bill 290 (2008): During the 2008 session, Raskin was involved with legislation that went through the Maryland General Assembly's legislative process.

• Senate Bill 690 (2010): Raskin supported legislation during the 2010 session.

• Senate Bill 803 (2011): He was involved with legislation in the 2011 session of the Maryland legislature.

• Senate Bill 276 (2013): Raskin introduced or sponsored legislation during the 2013 session.

Raskin served in the Maryland State Senate until November 10, 2016, when he resigned following his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was succeeded in the 20th district seat by Will Smith.

Campaign for U.S. Congress (2015–2016)

In April 2015, Raskin announced his candidacy for Maryland's 8th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which was being vacated by Chris Van Hollen, who was running for the U.S. Senate. The 8th district at that time included portions of Montgomery County and extended through rural Frederick County to the Pennsylvania border.

Raskin ran in a competitive Democratic primary, drawing on his record as a state senator and his credentials as a constitutional law professor. He won the Democratic primary on April 26, 2016. He went on to win the general election in November 2016 in the heavily Democratic district.

U.S. House of Representatives (2017–present)

Raskin took office on January 3, 2017, succeeding Chris Van Hollen as the representative for Maryland's 8th congressional district. Following redistricting in 2022, the district was redrawn to encompass much of Montgomery County and a portion of Prince George's County. Raskin has been reelected to each subsequent term.

Committee Assignments and Leadership

In the U.S. House, Raskin has served on several prominent committees. He served as the Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee from January 3, 2023, to January 3, 2025, where his predecessor was James Comer and his successor was Gerry Connolly. Since January 3, 2025, he has served as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, succeeding Jerry Nadler in that role.

Raskin also co-chairs the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a caucus within the U.S. House that promotes public policy based on reason, science, and moral values.

Second Impeachment of Donald Trump

Raskin's most prominent national role came in January and February 2021, when he served as the lead impeachment manager for the second impeachment of Donald Trump. The impeachment followed the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, in which a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. The House impeached Trump on January 13, 2021, on a single article charging "incitement of insurrection."

As lead manager, Raskin presented the House's case during the Senate trial, drawing on his background as a constitutional law professor to argue that a former president could be tried by the Senate and that Trump bore responsibility for the violence. The trial, which took place from February 9 to 13, 2021, resulted in an acquittal, with the Senate voting 57–43 to convict — a majority, but short of the two-thirds supermajority required for conviction.

Raskin's role as lead manager took place under deeply personal circumstances. His son, Thomas "Tommy" Bloom Raskin, had died by suicide on December 31, 2020, just days before the January 6 attack. Raskin has spoken publicly about the intersection of these two devastating events and later wrote about his son's life and the impeachment experience.

In a January 2026 opinion essay for The New York Times, Raskin reflected on the anniversary of January 6, writing that the events of that day continued to reverberate in American politics.

Oversight Work and the Epstein Files (2025–2026)

In 2025 and 2026, Raskin emerged as a leading congressional voice on the issue of government transparency related to files concerning Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019. In his capacity as a senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Raskin reviewed unredacted documents related to the Epstein case held by the Department of Justice.

In February 2026, Raskin alleged in an interview with Axios that President Donald Trump's name appeared in the unredacted Epstein files "more than a million times." The day before, Raskin accused the Department of Justice of making "mysterious redactions" to documents related to Epstein, characterizing the redactions as a possible cover-up, according to reporting by The Guardian.

During a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee in February 2026, Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the committee, and exchanges between Bondi and lawmakers — including Raskin — over the Epstein files drew significant public attention.

In late February 2026, Raskin and Representative Suhas Subramanyam announced that they would bring the family of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a late Epstein survivor, as guests to President Trump's State of the Union address.

Other Legislative and Oversight Activities

Beyond the Epstein files, Raskin has been active on a range of oversight and legislative matters in the 119th Congress. In early 2026, he joined other House Democrats in demanding a congressional inquiry into the Trump administration's criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

In February 2026, Raskin was among several senior House Democrats — alongside Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Rosa DeLauro, Jim McGovern, and Joe Morelle — who filed an amicus brief in the case of Texas v. Bondi, arguing to preserve Congress's authority to set its own rules.

Personal Life

Jamie Raskin is married to Sarah Bloom Raskin, who served as the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury during the Obama administration. The couple has three children and resides in Takoma Park, Maryland.

The Raskin family suffered a profound loss on December 31, 2020, when their son Thomas "Tommy" Bloom Raskin died by suicide at the age of 25. Tommy Raskin had been a student at Harvard Law School and was described by his family as a person of deep empathy and moral conviction. His death occurred just days before the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Jamie Raskin has spoken and written publicly about navigating personal grief while serving as lead impeachment manager in the weeks that followed.

Raskin co-chairs the Congressional Freethought Caucus, reflecting his public identification with secular humanist values. He is of Jewish heritage.

Recognition

Raskin's role as lead impeachment manager in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump brought him significant national recognition. His presentation of the House's case during the trial was noted for its constitutional argumentation and emotional resonance, particularly given his family's personal loss in the days preceding the Capitol attack.

As a legal scholar, Raskin was recognized within the academic community for his contributions to constitutional law scholarship, his founding of the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, and his published works on election law and democratic governance.

In the 118th and 119th Congresses, Raskin's work on the House Oversight Committee and subsequently the House Judiciary Committee has positioned him as one of the most prominent Democratic voices on matters of government accountability and the rule of law. His engagement with the Epstein files in 2025 and 2026, including his public allegations regarding redactions and his confrontations with administration officials, has generated substantial media coverage and public attention.

Raskin has been a frequent presence in national media, appearing on news programs and publishing opinion essays in major outlets including The New York Times.