Sheila Jackson Lee

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee represented the 18th Congressional District of Texas from 1995 until her death on July 19, 2024 (104th-118th Congresses). Before her career in Congress, Lee served as staff counsel for the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, as a municipal judge for three years, and was an at-large member of the Houston City Council. Lee was a senior member of the House committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security. She also served as a member of the Budget Committee. Lee was the first female ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. She led the way in criminal justice reform through groundbreaking legislation, including the Sentencing Reform Act, Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, The RAISE Act, The Fair Chance for Youth Act, Kaleif’s Law, and the American RISING Act of 2015. As a ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee for Maritime and Border Security, she co-authored HR 1417, a bipartisan bill that has been touted as the best vehicle for accomplishing comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jackson Lee was also a chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection. Under her leadership, the Transportation Security Act of 2007 passed, which increased America’s transportation security funding. Jackson Lee received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School.