Jerry Nadler: Voting and Legislative Record
Jerry Nadler's legislative record spans more than three decades and is among the most substantial of any New York member of Congress, anchored by his leadership of the House Judiciary Committee, his central role in the Trump impeachments, and a series of landmark laws. This section examines his documented record, with citations to primary or strong secondary sources.
A note up front: as a long-tenured member who chaired the powerful Judiciary Committee, Nadler has both a leadership record and a body of signature legislation. This section focuses on documented actions, drawing where possible on neutral or official sources and flagging where claims rest on his own or allied materials.
House Judiciary leadership
The centerpiece of Nadler's record is his long leadership of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over civil rights, immigration, gun control, antitrust, and constitutional matters 1. He served as ranking member from 2017 to 2019, chair from 2019 to 2023, and ranking member again from 2023, before stepping aside from that role in December 2024 2. From these positions, he shaped a wide range of legislation and oversight. His committee leadership defines his institutional legacy.
The Trump impeachments
Nadler's most prominent legislative-process role came in the impeachments of President Trump. As Judiciary chair, he presided over the drafting of the first impeachment's articles in 2019 and was named one of the seven House managers who presented the case to the Senate in early 2020 3. He also led floor debate on an article of impeachment during the second impeachment in January 2021 4. These roles placed him at the center of two historic proceedings.
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
Among Nadler's most concrete legislative achievements is his work on health care for 9/11 responders and survivors. He helped pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which established the World Trade Center Health Program providing health monitoring and aid to first responders, volunteers, and survivors of the September 11 attacks 5. Given that his district included the World Trade Center site, the law is a signature part of his legacy.
Marriage equality and LGBTQ rights
Nadler has a long record on LGBTQ rights. He brought forward the Equality Act, described as the first comprehensive civil-rights bill to protect the LGBTQ community, and supported passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrined federal recognition of marriage equality 67. As a founding member of the LGBT Equality Caucus, these measures reflect a central legislative commitment.
Reproductive rights
Nadler co-authored the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which established federal protections for access to reproductive-health clinics, an early and enduring part of his legislative record on reproductive rights 6. He has consistently supported abortion-rights and clinic-access measures throughout his career.
Other major legislation
Allied accounts credit Nadler with work across his committee's jurisdiction, including ending forced arbitration in cases of sexual assault and harassment and for workers, strengthening antitrust enforcement, and advancing criminal-justice and immigration reforms such as a path to citizenship for Dreamers 8. His current role as ranking member of a Judiciary subcommittee focuses on regulatory and antitrust matters 2. These reflect his broad committee portfolio.
Voting profile and attendance
Nadler's voting record is consistently liberal, aligned with the Democratic Party's progressive wing across his long tenure 9. According to GovTrack, from January 1993 through May 2026, he missed about 4.6 percent of roll-call votes (958 of 20,911), a rate the site describes as worse than the median for currently serving representatives, a figure that may reflect his long tenure and periodic absences 10. His overall record is that of a reliable progressive vote.
Assessing the record
Nadler's legislative record is among the most substantial of his New York peers, defined by his long Judiciary leadership, his central role in two presidential impeachments, and landmark laws on 9/11 health care, marriage equality, and clinic access. His three-decade tenure gave him influence over a wide swath of constitutional and civil-rights legislation.
The honest summary is that Nadler has a deep and consequential legislative legacy, anchored by his Judiciary work and signature laws, earning his Liberal Lion reputation. Supporters point to his landmark accomplishments and his defense of democratic institutions; critics on the right view him as a partisan liberal, and the recent Democratic push for generational change led to his displacement as ranking member despite that record. Both readings describe a legislator whose record is inseparable from the Judiciary Committee and the major civil-rights and accountability fights of his era.