John Cornyn

Republican senior Senator of Texas

Senator
Texas
December 2, 2002 - January 3, 2003
Senator
Texas
January 7, 2003 - January 3, 2009
Senator
Texas
January 6, 2009 - January 3, 2015
Senator
Texas
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2021
Senator
Texas
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2027

202-224-2934

@JohnCornyn

cornyn.senate.gov

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Congresses Served

Senate Terms

January 1, 1952 (73 years old)

Birthday

Born in 1952 and has a background as an attorney and former jurist.
Served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1991 to 1997.
Served as the Attorney General of Texas from 1999 to 2002.
Has been serving as a United States senator since 2002.
Held the position of Senate majority whip for the 114th and 115th Congresses.
Chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2009 to 2013.
Played a significant role in upholding Texas’s anti-sodomy law while on the Texas Supreme Court, a decision later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Created the Texas Internet Bureau to investigate illegal internet practices during his tenure as Attorney General.
Criticized for his handling of the investigation into false drug convictions in Tulia, Texas.
Was considered as a possible Supreme Court Justice replacement in 2005.
Co-founded and became the co-chairman of the U.S. Senate India Caucus in 2004.
Involved in a verbal altercation with Senator John McCain over immigration in 2007.
Supported Norm Coleman’s court challenges to the 2008 election certification of the Minnesota U.S. Senate race.
Voted to confirm Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court but announced his intention to vote against Sonia Sotomayor.
Blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on cultural practices in China and incorrectly linked China to the MERS and swine flu epidemics.
Elected Senate Minority Whip in 2012 and named Senate Majority Whip after the 2014 election.
Opposes abortion and has voted against expanding federal funding for stem cell research.
Supported legislation allowing law enforcement to collect DNA samples from those arrested or detained by federal authorities.
Described as a “very conservative” politician by political scientists.
Has been a vocal critic of the People’s Republic of China, especially regarding human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority.
Opposes the Affordable Care Act and played a leading role in attempts to repeal it.
Introduced the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act” in 2014.
Has a history of opposing LGBT rights, including defending Texas’s anti-sodomy laws and opposing same-sex marriage.
Helped Senate Republicans filibuster national election reform legislation in 2021.
Opposes the removal of Confederate statues.