# United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics

The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics is a select committee of the United States Senate charged with dealing with matters related to senatorial ethics. It is also commonly referred to as the Senate Ethics Committee. Senate rules require the Ethics Committee to be evenly divided between the Democrats and the Republicans, no matter who controls the Senate. However, the chairman always comes from the majority party. The leading committee member of the minority party is referred to as the Vice Chairman rather than the more common Ranking Member.

## History

The Senate Select Committee on Standards and Conduct was first convened in the 89th Congress (1965–66) and later replaced by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics in the 95th Congress (1977–78).

## Membership

Pursuant to Senate Rule 25, the committee is limited to six members, and is equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. This effectively means that either party can veto any action taken by the committee.

### Members, 119th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| James Lankford, Oklahoma, Chair Jim Risch, Idaho Deb Fischer, Nebraska | Chris Coons, Delaware, Vice Chair Brian Schatz, Hawaii Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire |

## Chairs

List of chairs of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics
| Chair | Party | State | Term |
| John C. Stennis | D | Mississippi | 1965–1975 |
| Howard Cannon | D | Nevada | 1975–1977 |
| Adlai Stevenson III | D | Illinois | 1977–1980 |
| Howell Heflin | D | Alabama | 1980–1981 |
| Malcolm Wallop | R | Wyoming | 1981–1983 |
| Ted Stevens | R | Alaska | 1983–1985 |
| Warren Rudman | R | New Hampshire | 1985–1987 |
| Howell Heflin | D | Alabama | 1987–1992 |
| Terry Sanford | D | North Carolina | 1992–1993 |
| Richard Bryan | D | Nevada | 1993–1995 |
| Mitch McConnell | R | Kentucky | 1995–1997 |
| Bob Smith | R | New Hampshire | 1997–1999 |
| Pat Roberts | R | Kansas | 1999–2001 (ended January 3) |
| Vacant | — | — | 2001 (January 3–20) |
| Pat Roberts | R | Kansas | 2001 (January 20 – June 6) |
| Harry Reid | D | Nevada | 2001–2003 (started June 6, 2001) |
| George Voinovich | R | Ohio | 2003–2007 |
| Barbara Boxer | D | California | 2007–2015 |
| Johnny Isakson | R | Georgia | 2015–2019 |
| James Lankford | R | Oklahoma | 2019–2021 |
| Chris Coons | D | Delaware | 2021–2025 |
| James Lankford | R | Oklahoma | 2025–present |

## Historical committee rosters
### 110th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Barbara Boxer, California, Chairwoman Mark Pryor, Arkansas Ken Salazar, Colorado | John Cornyn, Texas, Vice Chairman Pat Roberts, Kansas Johnny Isakson, Georgia |

### 111th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Barbara Boxer, California, Chairwoman Mark Pryor, Arkansas Sherrod Brown, Ohio | Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Vice Chairman Pat Roberts, Kansas Jim Risch, Idaho |

### 112th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Barbara Boxer, California, Chair Mark Pryor, Arkansas Sherrod Brown, Ohio | Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Vice Chair Pat Roberts, Kansas Jim Risch, Idaho |
Source: 2011 Congressional Record, Vol. 157, Page S557

### 113th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Barbara Boxer, California, Chair Mark Pryor, Arkansas Sherrod Brown, Ohio | Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Vice Chair Pat Roberts, Kansas Jim Risch, Idaho |
Source: 2011 Congressional Record, Vol. 157, Page S557

### 114th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Pat Roberts, Kansas Jim Risch, Idaho | Barbara Boxer, California, Vice Chair Chris Coons, Delaware Brian Schatz, Hawaii |
Source: 2013 Congressional Record, Vol. 159, Page S296

### 115th Congress

Members of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, 115th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
| Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair Pat Roberts, Kansas Jim Risch, Idaho | Chris Coons, Delaware, Vice Chair Brian Schatz, Hawaii Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire |

### 116th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| James Lankford, Oklahoma, Chair Johnny Isakson, Georgia, Chair (served until December 19, 2019) Pat Roberts, Kansas Jim Risch, Idaho | Chris Coons, Delaware, Vice Chair Brian Schatz, Hawaii Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire |

### 117th Congress

| Majority | Minority |
| Chris Coons, Delaware, Chair Brian Schatz, Hawaii Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire | James Lankford, Oklahoma, Vice Chair Jim Risch, Idaho Deb Fischer, Nebraska |