Cheryl L. Johnson

Cheryl Lynn Johnson

Early life and education Johnson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Austin Johnson and Cynthia Terry Davis.

Johnson graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication in 1980. She earned her J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law in 1984. She is a graduate of the senior management program at the Harvard Kennedy School. On February 25, 2019, Johnson was sworn in as the 36th Clerk and assumed the role on February 26, 2019. She was preceded by Karen L. Haas.

On January 3, 2023, pursuant to her duties as clerk, Johnson presided over the first session of the 118th United States Congress until January 7, 2023, making her the first African American woman and person of color to wield the gavel for the U.S. House of Representatives. After fourteen failed attempts by the House to elect a Speaker, her presiding role concluded when Representative Kevin McCarthy was elected the 55th Speaker of the House in the 15th ballot.

Board of the Office of Congressional Conduct On June 23, 2025, Johnson was appointed to the Board of the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) after being nominated by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, after consultation with Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. The OCC is in charge of investigating any alleged violation of a "law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct" committed by a "Member, officer, or employee of the House". The OCC Board decides, after an OCC preliminary investigation and second-phase review, recommend to the House Committee on Ethics if further investigation is warranted or to dismiss the complaint.

She is a member of the District of Columbia and the Louisiana bars. She serves on the board of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church and the Faith and Politics Institute.