Al Green (politician)
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Alexander N. Green, born September 1, 1947, an American lawyer and politician, has served as a U.S. representative for Texas's 9th congressional district since 2005. A dedicated member of the Democratic Party, Green's public service began much earlier, as he served as the justice of the peace for Harris County, Texas, from 1977 to 2004. He currently holds a significant position on the United States House Committee on Financial Services.
On March 6, 2025, Congressman Green faced censure for his repeated interruptions during President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress two days prior. This action followed a pattern of challenges, as Green has filed articles of impeachment against President Trump multiple times throughout both of Trump's terms in office, including three separate occasions in 2025 alone, though none of these resolutions have been successful.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Green pursued higher education at Florida A&M University, Howard University, and Tuskegee Institute, though he did not earn an undergraduate degree from any. He later obtained his Juris Doctor in 1973 from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University and is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
In 1974, Green co-founded the law firm of Green, Wilson, Dewberry, and Fitch and has also served as president of the Houston chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP.
His electoral journey to Congress began in 2004, following redistricting. Green decisively defeated incumbent Rep. Chris Bell by 35 percentage points in the Democratic primary for Texas's 9th congressional district, securing the support of fellow Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters. He went on to win the general election and has since been re-elected an impressive ten times.
During his tenure in Congress, Green has championed issues vital to the underserved, focusing on fair housing and fair hiring practices for the poor and minority communities. Following the 2012 election, he held a press conference advocating for federal budget reform during the lame-duck session and outlining a plan for infrastructure investments aimed at job creation, national unity, and economic improvement. He has also voiced support for the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program, believing it has contributed to economic recovery since the 2008 financial crisis.
Green has been a consistent voice for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. On May 17, 2017, he presented articles of impeachment citing Trump's dismissal of FBI Director James Comey. While he immediately shelved the document without a vote, he continued his call for impeachment. He reintroduced articles of impeachment on July 16, 2019, citing Trump's remarks concerning four Democratic congresswomen of color. This privileged resolution mandated a House vote, which ultimately tabled the measure on July 17, effectively ending it with a 332-95 vote.
During a House Financial Services Committee hearing on April 10, 2019, Green posed pointed questions to the CEOs of major financial institutions, inquiring about the diversity of their leadership and their institutions' potential benefit from slavery. He directly asked J. P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon if his institution had benefited from slavery, to which Dimon confirmed it had in the 1800s.
Demonstrating unwavering commitment, on February 6, 2024, Green briefly left a hospital to cast a vote from his wheelchair against the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, a measure that ultimately failed.
The events of March 4, 2025, saw Congressman Green's prominent role during President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress. In response to Trump's declaration of a "mandate" for his 2024 presidential election victory, Green stood, pointed his cane, and declared, "You have no mandate to cut Medicaid." House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered Green's removal from the chamber. The following day, a motion to censure Green was introduced and advanced, with Democrats failing to block it. He was subsequently censured on March 6, 2025, with ten Democrats joining all Republicans in the vote. In the aftermath, Green and other Democratic representatives sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome," prompting the Speaker to call for order and a recess.
In 2025, Green continued his efforts to hold President Trump accountable, introducing articles of impeachment in May for conflicts with the judicial branch, and in June for the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities without Congressional approval. In November, he again brought forward articles of impeachment for abuse of power, which were defeated in December.
Congressman Green serves on the Committee on Financial Services, specifically as Ranking Member of the United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and on the United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. He is also a member of numerous caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Equality Caucus, and the Congressional Medicare for All Caucus, among many others.
In terms of political positions, Green is a staunch supporter of abortion rights, consistently voting against restrictions. He also advocates for gun control and spoke out after the Trayvon Martin shooting, urging the African-American community to trust the justice system. He voted for President Obama's 2009 auto industry bailout, emphasizing its importance for the people. Green is a strong proponent of maintaining Pakistan as an ally in South Asia and condemned the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He has also been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump for his remarks regarding transgender individuals, denouncing it as inciting hate and hostility. Green is a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and delivered a powerful speech in support of the Equality Act. On October 25, 2023, Green was among a group of Democrats who voted against a bipartisan resolution supporting Israel following the October 7th attacks.
Personally, Green is a Baptist Christian and is divorced. He underwent intestinal surgery in 2024.
In 2008, a controversy arose when former staffer Lucinda Daniels accused Green of sexual assault. While Daniels filed and then withdrew a lawsuit, Green filed a counter-lawsuit alleging threats of a discrimination suit if he didn't pay her. Both suits were eventually withdrawn. A spokesman for Green stated they had a "romantic encounter" in 2007, but denied harassment allegations. In 2017, Green and Daniels released a joint statement resolving their past disputes and declaring themselves friends.
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Alexander N. Green (born September 1, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Texas's 9th congressional district since 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, Green served as the justice of the peace of Harris County, Texas from 1977 to 2004. Green is a member of the United States House Committee on Financial Services.
On March 6, 2025, Green was censured for having repeatedly interrupted President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress two days earlier. Green has filed articles of impeachment against Trump multiple times, during both of Trump's terms in office, including on three separate occasions in 2025 alone; none of these resolutions have been successful.
== Early life, education, and early career ==
Green was born on September 1, 1947, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Florida A&M University, Howard University, and Tuskegee Institute, but did not receive an undergraduate degree from any of these institutions. Despite this, Green earned a Juris Doctor in 1973 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
In 1974, Green co-founded the law firm of Green, Wilson, Dewberry, and Fitch. He has served as president of the Houston National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
In 1977, Green was elected justice of the peace in Harris County, Texas. He held this position until 2004.
== U.S. House of Representatives ==
=== Elections ===
In 2004, following redistricting, Green defeated incumbent Rep. Chris Bell by 35 percentage points in a Democratic primary in Texas's 9th congressional district. Green received the support of Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters. Green then won the 2004 general election. Green has been re-elected 10 times.
=== Tenure ===
In Congress, Green has focused on issues such as fair housing and fair hiring practices for the poor and minorities.
After the 2012 election, Green held a press conference in Houston at which he asserted that federal budget reform should be prioritized during the lame-duck session that year. He also announced a plan for infrastructure investments intended to create jobs, unify the country, and improve the economy.
Green has supported the Federal Reserve's program of quantitative easing and claims it has led to economic recovery since the 2008 financial crisis.
On May 17, 2017, Green presented articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, citing Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. Immediately after his speech, he shelved the document without calling for a vote, but continued to call for impeachment. He reintroduced articles of impeachment on July 16, 2019, citing Trump's attacks on four Democratic congresswomen of color. As a privileged resolution, the House was required to vote on it. On July 17, the House voted to table the resolution, effectively killing it. The vote was 332–95, with 95 Democrats (40%) voting in favor of the resolution and all Republicans against it.
During the House Financial Services Committee hearing on April 10, 2019, at which the CEOs of all the major banks and investment institutions of the United States were sworn to testify, Green presented several questions, including whether any of the executives were not white men, whether they believed their likely successor would be female or a person of color, asking them to raise and lower their hands to indicate their responses. Green then asked J. P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon whether the institution he chaired had directly benefited from slavery, to which Dimon responded that it had, back in the 1800s.
On February 6, 2024, he left a hospital for a short time to vote from a wheelchair against the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas. The House failed to impeach Mayorkas that day, and the final vote was 214–216.
==== 2025 Donald Trump address and censure ====
On March 4, 2025, during President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress, in response to Trump calling his victory in the 2024 presidential election "a mandate", Green stood up, pointing his cane at the dais and shouted, "You have no mandate to cut Medicaid." House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered that Green be escorted out of the House Chamber by the sergeant-at-arms after repeatedly interrupting the address. The following day, Representative Dan Newhouse introduced, and the House moved forward a motion to censure Green for his actions the previous evening. Democrats failed to block the motion with a 209–211–1 vote. He was censured the next day on a vote of 224–198–2, with ten Democrats joining every Republican in voting in favor of the censure. During the aftermath of the vote's proceedings, he and several other Democratic representatives took to the House well to sing the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome", which resulted in House Speaker Mike Johnson calling for order and, later, a recess.
==== 2025: Articles of impeachment against Donald Trump ====
Green introduced articles of impeachment against Donald Trump in May 2025 for conflicts with the judicial branch. He brought another article of impeachment against Trump in June 2025 for the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities without Congressional approval. In November 2025, he again promised to and later did bring further impeachment articles against Trump for abuse of power, which were defeated in December 2025.
=== Committee assignments ===
Committee on Financial Services
United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Ranking Member)
United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
=== Caucus memberships ===
Congressional Black Caucus
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Congressional Equality Caucus
Congressional Maritime Caucus
Congressional Urban Caucus
Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus
Congressional Natural Gas Caucus
Congressional Ports Caucus
Congressional Science, Technology, Education and Math (STEM) Caucus
Congressional After School Caucus
Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus
Congressional Military Family Caucus
Congressional Children's Caucus
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
Congressional Arts Caucus
Afterschool Caucuses
U.S.–Japan Caucus
Congressional Taiwan Caucus
Congressional Pakistan Caucus
Medicare for All Caucus
== Political positions ==
Green supports abortion rights and consistently votes against restrictions on abortion. On October 13, 2011, he voted against an amendment to the Affordable Care Act which prevented insurance programs created by the Act from covering abortions.
Green also supports gun control. He spoke out after the Trayvon Martin shooting, asking members of the African-American community to show faith in the justice system and let the courts do their job and convict George Zimmerman.
Green voted for President Barack Obama's bailout of the auto industry in 2009. On December 10, 2008, he wrote a statement supporting the auto bailout, saying, "The auto bailout is really about bailing out people, and the people of this country... I think that [how tax dollars are spent] is a legitimate concern for the American people, but I do think, with the proper strings attached, we can bail out the people...who may lose their jobs."
Green is a member of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. He is a strong supporter of holding Pakistan as an ally in South Asia. After the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, which initially destabilized the country as riots erupted, Green issued a statement condemning the assassination as a "dastardly effort to circumvent the democratic process." He announced his support of the US's continued alliance with Pakistan, and urged Pakistanis to continue their push towards true democracy, "knowing that freedom, justice, and democracy are difficult to achieve."
On December 6, 2017, Green denounced President Donald Trump for "casting contempt on transgender individuals, inciting hate and hostility, and sowing discord among the people of the United States on the basis of gender." Green is a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus. On February 25, 2021, Green gave an impassioned speech on the floor of the House in support of the Equality Act, comparing the use of religion to support homophobia by representatives opposed to the bill to the use of religion to support racist policies, saying, "You used God to enslave my foreparents. You used God to segregate me in schools. You used God to put me in the back of the bus. Have you no shame?"
On October 25, 2023, Green and eight other Democrats (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Andre Carson, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, Delia Ramirez, and Rashida Tlaib), along with Republican Thomas Massie, voted against congressional bi-partisan non-binding resolution H. Res. 771 supporting Israel in the wake of the October 7 attacks. The resolution stated that the House of Representatives: "stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists" and "reaffirms the United States' commitment to Israel's security"; the resolution passed by an overwhelming 412-10-6 margin.
== Electoral history ==
== Personal life ==
Green is a Baptist Christian. He is divorced.
Green underwent intestinal surgery in 2024.
=== Lucinda Daniels controversy ===
In 2008, former staffer Lucinda Daniels accused Green of sexual assault. Daniels filed a lawsuit against Green and then withdrew it. Green filed a counter-lawsuit, alleging Daniels had threatened to sue Green for workplace discrimination if Green did not pay her money. Green subsequently withdrew his suit too. The Hill reported that a spokesman for Green said the two had had a "romantic encounter" in 2007, but that the allegations of sexual harassment were untrue. In 2017, at a time when several other congressmen were facing accusations of sexual misconduct, Green and Daniels released a joint statement saying that both regretted having "hastily made allegations and charges against one another that have been absolutely resolved". The statement added that the two were "friends".
== See also ==
List of African-American United States representatives
== References ==
== External links ==
Congressman Al Green official U.S. House website
Al Green for Congress political campaign website
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
Profile at Vote Smart
Appearances on C-SPAN
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