History of Sheila Jackson Lee in Timeline

Sheila Jackson Lee is a Democratic politician who has represented Texas's 18th congressional district, which encompasses most of central Houston, in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995. Prior to her election to Congress, she served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council. Currently, she holds the position of co-dean within the Texas congressional delegation.

January 12, 1950: Birth of Sheila Jackson Lee

Sheila Jackson Lee was born on January 12, 1950.

1972: Graduation from Yale University

Sheila Jackson Lee graduated from Yale University with a BA in political science in 1972.

1973: Marriage to Elwyn Lee

In 1973, Jackson Lee entered into marriage with Elwyn Lee.

1975: Graduation from University of Virginia School of Law

In 1975, Sheila Jackson Lee earned her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

1987: Move to Houston and Municipal Judge Position

Sheila Jackson Lee moved to Houston in 1987 when her husband accepted a position at the University of Houston, and she later served as a municipal judge.

1987: Appointment as Municipal Judge

Sheila Jackson Lee was appointed as a municipal judge in Houston, Texas, in 1987.

1989: Start of Term on Houston City Council

Sheila Jackson Lee began serving on the Houston City Council in 1989.

1990: End of Term as Municipal Judge

Sheila Jackson Lee's term as a municipal judge ended in 1990.

1994: Victory in Democratic Primary for U.S. Representative

In 1994, Sheila Jackson Lee defeated incumbent Craig Washington in the Democratic primary for U.S. Representative.

1994: Beginning of Congressional Campaign

Sheila Jackson Lee launched her campaign for Congress in 1994.

1994: End of Term on Houston City Council

Sheila Jackson Lee's term on the Houston City Council ended in 1994.

1995: Sheila Jackson Lee's Election to Congress

In 1995, Sheila Jackson Lee became the U.S. representative for Texas's 18th congressional district.

1996: Vote on Defense of Marriage Act

Jackson Lee voted "present" on the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

1997: Mars Pathfinder Flag Inquiry

In 1997, during a visit to the Mars Pathfinder operations center, Jackson Lee, then a member of the House Science Committee's Aeronautics and Space Subcommittee, reportedly inquired whether the Pathfinder rover had captured images of the American flag planted by Neil Armstrong. However, the flag in question was placed on the Moon, not Mars. The Hill, a newspaper that reported the incident, faced accusations of racial bias from Jackson Lee's deputy chief of staff, although the accuracy of the story was not disputed. The Hill refuted the allegations and stood by its reporting.

1998: Staff Resignations and Allegations of Abrasive Behavior

In 1998, five of Sheila Jackson Lee's staffers resigned, with one former staffer alleging her abrasive behavior drove them away.

2000: Support for Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China

Sheila Jackson Lee expressed her support for permanently normalizing trade status for China in 2000.

2001: Attendance at World Conference against Racism

In 2001, Jackson Lee traveled to South Africa to participate in the World Conference against Racism.

2001: Objection to Florida's Electoral Votes

In 2001, following the tightly contested 2000 presidential election, Jackson Lee and other House members raised objections to the counting of Florida's electoral votes, a state narrowly won by George W. Bush after a controversial recount. However, their objection was dismissed by then-Senate President Al Gore as no senator joined in the objection.

2003: Proposal for Inclusive Hurricane Naming

In 2003, Jackson Lee raised the issue of diversity in the naming conventions for tropical cyclones and hurricanes. She suggested that "all racial groups should be represented" and advocated for meteorological organizations to "try to be inclusive of African American names."

2005: Vote Against Counting Ohio's Electoral Votes

In 2005, Jackson Lee was among the 31 House Democrats who opposed the counting of Ohio's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election. Had Ohio's electoral votes been excluded, the election's outcome would have been determined by the U.S. House of Representatives, with each state receiving a single vote as stipulated by the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

April 28, 2006: Arrest for Darfur Protest

On April 28, 2006, Jackson Lee was arrested for disorderly conduct along with four other members of Congress and six activists. The arrest occurred during a protest in front of Sudan's embassy in Washington, where they were denouncing the Sudanese government's role in ethnic cleansing in Darfur.

2008: Co-Sponsorship of Impeachment Bill

In 2008, Jackson Lee showed her support for impeaching President George W. Bush by co-sponsoring H. Res. 1258, a U.S. House bill seeking to hold him accountable for allegedly "deceiving Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq WMDs."

2009: Support for Hate Crimes Prevention Act

In 2009, Jackson Lee voted for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a bill that expanded the federal hate crime law to encompass crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity.

July 2010: Comparison of Tea Party to KKK

While speaking at the July 2010 NAACP national convention, Jackson Lee drew a comparison between the Tea Party movement and the Ku Klux Klan. She remarked that "all those who wore sheets a long time ago have now lifted them off." Her statement sparked criticism from conservatives, including Michele Bachmann, a Republican representative from Minnesota and founder of the Tea Party Caucus.

2010: Support for Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal

In 2010, Jackson Lee cast her vote in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act, which allowed gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals to serve openly in the U.S. military.

January 2011: Defense of the Affordable Care Act

In January 2011, Jackson Lee argued against repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, asserting that such a move would violate the Constitution. She based her argument on the Commerce Clause and stated that repeal would infringe upon both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

March 2011: Criticism of Hearings on Radical Muslims

During a March 2011 Homeland Security Committee hearing concerning radical Muslims in the U.S., Jackson Lee criticized Peter King's approach to the hearings, claiming they were beneficial to al-Qaeda and drawing parallels to Arizona's controversial immigration policies. She argued that the hearings were causing fear among Muslim Americans and deemed them "an outrage."

2011: Reports of High Staff Turnover

Reports emerged in 2011 highlighting Sheila Jackson Lee's high staff turnover rate in Congress.

2012: Declared Cancer-Free

In 2012, Jackson Lee was declared free of breast cancer.

September 27, 2013: Introduction of the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act

On September 27, 2013, Sheila Jackson Lee introduced the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act (H.R. 3202; 113th Congress).

2013: Confirmation of High Staff Turnover

A 2013 report confirmed that Sheila Jackson Lee had the highest staff turnover rate in Congress over the previous decade.

2013: Introduction of the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act

In 2013, Sheila Jackson Lee introduced the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act.

July 2014: Statement on Impeachment of George W. Bush

In July 2014, Jackson Lee asserted that "we did not seek an impeachment" of President George W. Bush. This statement contradicted her previous actions as one of the 11 co-sponsors of H. Res. 1258, a 2008 U.S. House bill that aimed to impeach Bush for allegedly "deceiving Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq WMDs." Jackson Lee's spokesperson later clarified that she had "misspoken."

2014: "Meanest Democratic Congress Member" Label

Washingtonian magazine labeled Sheila Jackson Lee as the "meanest Democratic Congress member" in 2014.

May 2015: Trip to Azerbaijan

In May 2015, Jackson Lee went on a trip to Azerbaijan funded by the Azerbaijani government.

2015: Alleged Rape and Lawsuit

A former staffer of Sheila Jackson Lee filed a lawsuit alleging she was fired for planning legal action related to an alleged rape by a supervisor in 2015.

July 2016: Condemnation of Turkish Crackdown

In July 2016, Jackson Lee publicly condemned President Erdoğan's extensive crackdown on dissent in Turkey, which followed a failed coup attempt that same month.

2017: Objections During 2016 Electoral Vote Count

During the 2017 United States Electoral College vote count, Jackson Lee voiced her objections to the counting of electoral votes from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wyoming in the 2016 presidential election. However, her objections were dismissed because they lacked support from any senator.

2017: Repeat "Meanest Democratic Congress Member" Label

Washingtonian magazine again named Sheila Jackson Lee the "meanest Democratic Congress member" in 2017.

2018: Highest Staff Turnover Rate in Congress

In 2018, LegiStorm reported that Sheila Jackson Lee had the highest annual staff turnover rate in Congress at 62%.

January 2019: Resignations from Congressional Positions

In January 2019, Sheila Jackson Lee announced her resignation as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and from her House Judiciary subcommittee chairmanship after a lawsuit alleged she fired a staffer for planning legal action related to an alleged rape by a supervisor.

2019: Resignation from Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and House Judiciary Subcommittee

Following a lawsuit alleging she fired a staffer for planning legal action related to an alleged rape by a supervisor, Sheila Jackson Lee stepped down from her roles in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and a House Judiciary subcommittee in 2019.

2019: Support for the Equality Act and Criticism of Opposition

In 2019, Jackson Lee voted for the Equality Act, which sought to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Jackson Lee was critical of Republican representatives who opposed the legislation based on religious grounds.

January 4, 2021: Introduction of the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act

On January 4, 2021, Sheila Jackson Lee introduced the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act (H.R. 127; 117th Congress).

2021: Voting Record in the 117th Congress

In the 117th Congress (2021–2023), Sheila Jackson Lee voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 100 percent of the time.

2021: Introduction of the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act

Sheila Jackson Lee introduced the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act in 2021.

January 2023: Co-Dean of Texas's Congressional Delegation

Sheila Jackson Lee and Lloyd Doggett became co-deans of Texas's congressional delegation in January 2023.

March 27, 2023: Announcement of Candidacy for Houston Mayor

On March 27, 2023, Sheila Jackson Lee announced her candidacy for mayor of Houston.

November 7, 2023: Second Place in Houston Mayoral Election

Sheila Jackson Lee came in second place in the Houston mayoral election on November 7, 2023.

December 9, 2023: Runoff Election for Houston Mayor

On December 9, 2023, Sheila Jackson Lee participated in a runoff election for the position of Houston mayor but lost to John Whitmire.

December 11, 2023: Filing for Re-election to U.S. House Seat

Following her loss in the Houston mayoral election, Sheila Jackson Lee filed for re-election to her U.S. House seat on December 11, 2023.

2023: Incorrect Voting Date in Campaign Advertisement

During the 2023 Houston mayoral election, a campaign advertisement for Jackson Lee mistakenly directed viewers to vote on an incorrect date. Jackson Lee's spokesperson attributed the error to an outside advertising agency.