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Eleanor Holmes Norton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington, DC's At-large district
In office 1991-present
Preceded by	Walter Fauntroy
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	June 13, 1937 (age 69) Washington, DC
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	divorced
Religion	Episcopalian

Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is the non-voting Delegate from the District of Columbia to the United States House of Representatives (map).

Contents 1 Early life 2 Delegate to Congress 2.1 Voting status 3 Appearances 4 External links

Norton was born in Washington, D.C., and attended Antioch College, Yale University (M.A. 1963) and Yale University Law School (L.L.B 1964).

Norton worked as a lawyer in private practice, then became a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. She has served as an assistant legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, adjunct assistant professor at New York University Law School, executive assistant to the Mayor of New York, chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, Chairwoman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a senior fellow of the Urban Institute, and a professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

Norton was elected in 1990 as a Democratic non-voting delegate to the House, and took office on January 3, 1991.

Unlike a full Representative, the delegate from the District of Columbia is not permitted a legislative vote. Also, she may speak only on behalf of the District and vote only in committee, not on the House floor. The District, which has no Senate member at all, shares its limited form of Congressional representation with Puerto Rico and three other U.S. territories: Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands. Unlike those territories or any other place in the United States, citizens are subject to most federal laws, including taxation, despite not being represented in Congress.

See also: District of Columbia voting rights

According to news reports,[1] [2] the DC Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act appears likely to pass Congress in early 2007. In the event of the bill becoming law, Norton would not automatically become a voting member of the House. Rather, a special election would be called to fill the seat. Given her 16 years of service as delegate, Norton would likely be the favorite to win that election.

On July 27, 2006, Norton appeared on the Better Know A District segment of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, in which she spiritedly defended the District of Columbia's claim to being a part of the United States. Norton also appeared on the joint Colbert Report/Daily Show "Midterm Midtacular" special on November 7, 2006. A further interview with Stephen Colbert was conducted on March 22, 2007 on the subject of representation in the District of Columbia.

Norton is a regular panelist on the PBS women's news program To the Contrary.

• Official U.S. House web site of Eleanor Holmes Norton
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Eleanor Holmes Norton at the Notable Names Database

Preceded by Walter Fauntroy

Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the District of Columbia January 3, 1991 – present

Incumbent

District of Columbia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: None (Federal district) Representative(s): Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)– non-voting delegate All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands