Joe Courtney (politician)

Joe Courtney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Rob Simmons
Personal details
Born	(1953-04-06) April 6, 1953 Hartford, Connecticut
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Audrey Courtney
Residence	Vernon, Connecticut
Alma mater	Tufts University, University of Connecticut
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Roman Catholic

Joseph "Joe" Courtney (born April 6, 1953) is the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district, serving since 2007. The district includes most of the eastern third of the state, including Norwich and New London. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life, education and career

Courtney grew up in suburban Hartford and became a 1975 graduate of Tufts University. He earned a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978 and worked as a public defender for 3 years after leaving school. Courtney is a partner in the law firm Courtney, Boyan & Foran. He also serves as Town Attorney in Vernon, Connecticut, the town in which he currently resides.

Connecticut House of Representatives

Courtney served in the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing Connecticut's 56th district, from 1987 to 1994. He was chairman of the Public Health and Human Service Committee and oversaw the Blue Ribbon Commission on Universal Health Insurance. In 1994, he was honored by Connecticut Magazine for his bipartisan efforts in the state house.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
  • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Readiness
  • Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces

Prior to the 112th Congress, Courtney served on the Committee on Education and Labor with membership on the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness and Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.

Political positions

Social Security

Representative Courtney strongly favors keeping Social Security from being privatized. In his position paper, he states “I support proposals to fully fund Social Security and will strongly oppose attempts to privatize the program.” However, he does feel that some modifications are necessary to keep the program working and providing retired Americans with the benefits they have earned. Additionally, he voted for the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act which would fix what he calls the “broken physician reimbursement system” and replace it with a functional one.

Gun Rights

Representative Joe Courtney supports restrictions on the purchase and possessions of handguns. In 2010, the interest group, Gun Owners of America, gave him a F based on his legislative votes; he does not support their cause. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gave Courtney a grade of 100 percent.

Endorsements

Representative Courtney was endorsed in the past election by organizations such as the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, which champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.", the National Education Association, whose goal is to “promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interest of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all”, as well as Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, and the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

Abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research

Congressman Courtney favors abortion rights and access to contraception, and favors embryonic stem cell research.

Civil rights

Courtney has always been a proponent of equal rights under law.

• Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)

Other

While in Congress, Courtney has consistently supported and sponsored healthcare reform, in line with his career in the Connecticut House. He has also supported alternative energy and environmental programs and has opposed the Patriot Act. He was the only Representative from Connecticut to vote against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Political campaigns

1998

In 1998, after four years out of office, Courtney made an unsuccessful bid for Lieutenant Governor.

2002

Courtney first ran for Congress against incumbent Rob Simmons in 2002 and lost 54%-46%.

2006

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2006#District 2

Courtney again challenged Simmons in 2006 in a race that political strategists projected would be very close. Courtney was declared the winner on Election Day 2006 by the slim margin of 83 votes out of over 242,000 cast. Under Connecticut law the race qualified for an automatic re-canvass because he won by less than one half percent. An up and down recount that found several errors, including one that gave Courtney an extra 100 votes, was finished on November 14, 2006. The final results gave Courtney 83 votes over Simmons.

2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2008#District 2

Courtney's 2008 Republican challenger was the former commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base New London, Sean Sullivan. Courtney won the election by a two-to-one margin.

On May 21, 2008, he announced his endorsement of then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama for president.

2010

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut, 2010#District 2

Courtney was challenged by Republican nominee Janet Peckinpaugh, Green Party nominee Scott Deshefy, and Libertarian write-in Dan Reale. Courtney was re-elected to another term.

Personal life

Courtney lives with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and two children in Vernon, a suburb of Hartford.

External links

• Representative Joe Courtney official U.S. House site
• Joe Courtney for Congress official campaign site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Profile at Ballotpedia
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at Roll Call
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
• Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Voting record at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post
• Freshman congressman Joe Courtney learns the ropes and tries to keep his balance on Capitol Hill Washington Post Photo Gallery, June 7, 2007

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Rob Simmons	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd congressional district January 3, 2007 – present	Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Steve Cohen D-Tennessee	United States Representatives by seniority 211th	Succeeded by Keith Ellison D-Minnesota