Rogan a Top Contender for Judiciary Committee Post

Marking his rise in the political ranks, freshman Rep. James Rogan has become a top candidate to fill the seat on the Judiciary Committee that became vacant with the death of Sonny Bono.

If Rogan (R-Glendale) is approved for the appointment later this week, he would be the only freshman allowed to sit on the panel while simultaneously holding a coveted seat on the Commerce Committee.

The Commerce Committee is one of four exclusive panels in the House of Representatives that prohibits its members from serving simultaneously on a second committee.

Bono, a Republican from Palm Springs, died Jan. 5 in a skiing accident. He was one of only two nonlawyers on the Judiciary Committee.

Rogan, a former Municipal Court judge, was recommended last week by the Republican Party leadership to fill Bono’s seat. The final decision will come when the full House decides whether to waive the rules to allow Rogan on the second panel.

Only Rep. Rick Boucher, a 16-year veteran from Virginia, has been allowed to sit simultaneously on the Judiciary and Commerce committees.

“I’m cautiously optimistic but I understand that nothing in politics is for sure,” Rogan said.

Rogan said he has wanted to be on the Judiciary Committee since he went to Washington in 1996.

The panel oversees antitrust law, legal reform and tort liability, including medical malpractice and product liability.

But Rogan is interested in the post mostly because the panel reviews laws concerning the protection of intellectual property, copyright and patents, which he said are important matters in the entertainment and multimedia industry of Los Angeles.

Perhaps the most important role of the Judiciary Committee is to consider impeachment proceedings against the president.

Rogan’s predecessor, former Rep. Carlos Moorhead (R-Glendale), was also a member of the Judiciary Committee, serving in part during the impeachment hearings for former President Richard Nixon. Moorhead stuck by Nixon long after many other Republicans had backed away, until the infamous “smoking gun” tapes emerged.

Rep. Howard Berman (D-Mission Hills), a veteran member of the Judiciary Committee, said it would be unusual for the House of Representatives to waive the rules to allow Rogan on the Judiciary Committee.

But he said he would welcome Rogan, calling him a “fine lawyer.”

“The exciting aspect of this is that we have a large number of issues involving the protection of intellectual property that are vital to the economy of Southern California,” Berman said.