Celler opposed the methods of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. sensing potential danger to constitutional liberties. and in 1966 he was 1 of 24 House Members who voted against that committees appropriation. In the first major debate of his career. Mr. Celler opposed the establishment of the national origins quota system under the Johnson Immigration Act of 1924. and 41 years later. he sponsored a bill that repealed that law. Having secured through seniority the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee in 1949. Manny Celler became a crucial political figure as the Nation awakened to the need for civil rights legislation.
Keywords matched
Immigration national origins quota