Justin Amash
Justin A. Amash (/əˈmɑːʃ/ ə-MAHSH; born April 18, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district from 2011 to 2021. He was the second Palestinian-American member of Congress. Originally a Republican, Amash left the GOP and became an independent on the 4th of July in 2019. In April 2020 he joined the Libertarian Party, leaving Congress in January 2021 as the only Libertarian to serve in Congress.
Justin Amash | |
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Official portrait, 2015 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Vern Ehlers |
| Succeeded by | Peter Meijer |
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 72nd district | |
| In office January 14, 2009 – January 1, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Glenn Steil |
| Succeeded by | Ken Yonker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 18, 1980 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Libertarian (after 2020) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (until 2019) Independent (2019–2020) |
| Spouse | Kara Day |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA, JD) |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Libertarianism in the United States |
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A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Amash was born to Palestinian and Syrian Christian parents who had immigrated to the United States. After high school, he studied economics at the University of Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, and briefly worked as a corporate lawyer and consultant before entering politics.
Amash represented the 72nd district in the Michigan House of Representatives for one term before being elected to Congress in 2010. He was the founder and chairperson of the Liberty Caucus and was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, which he left in June 2019. Amash received national attention when he became the first Republican congressman to call for the impeachment of Donald Trump, a position he maintained after leaving the party.
Amash formed an exploratory committee to seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in the 2020 election, before announcing in May of that year that he would not run for president. He did not seek reelection to Congress in 2020.