In January 2022, the Levin Center at Wayne Law released "Portraits in Oversight" short profiles that describe important congressional investigations and trace the work of key figures in the history of legislative oversight. The portraits explore congressional oversight from 1792 to the present day, including inquiries into the Civil War, covert CIA operations, Enron, and Watergate and such figures as Senators Harry Truman and Joe McCarthy, and Representatives John Dingell and Elijah Cummings.
As part of Wayne State University Law School's Black History Month programming, the Levin Center will conduct a panel discussion featuring Rep. Elijah Cummings' former staffers who will focus on his oversight work. The webinar will take place Thursday, February 17, from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.
For 23 years, Cummings, the son of sharecroppers, represented Maryland's 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Elected in 1996, he served on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from his earliest days in Congress until his death in 2019, becoming its Ranking Minority Member in December 2010 and committee chair in his last year. During his committee tenure, Cummings participated in a wide range of high-profile investigations, from inquiries into high-priced prescription drugs that put health care out of reach for average families, to the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, to the separation of families at the U.S. border.
To register for "Portraits in Oversight: The Work of Representative Elijah Cummings," visit https://levin-center.org. There is no cost to attend. Anyone with question can email levincenter@wayne.edu.
