During the 111th Congress, Johnson – a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary – chaired the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy that was responsible for antitrust legislation and overseeing administration of the federal courts. He also served on the House Committees on Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure.

After only one term in office, he was elected by his colleagues to serve in the House Leadership as Southeast Regional Whip in 2009. In that capacity, he has played a key role in garnering support for key priorities such as health care reform, the Recovery Act, and legislation to reduce carbon emissions to slow climate change. One of the earliest congressional supporters of President Barack Obama, Rep. Johnson served as co-Chair of the Obama Campaign in Georgia.

A champion of fairness for working American families, he has introduced, co-sponsored and passed legislation to level the playing field and create opportunity.

He has consistently supported legislation to ensure that all Americans have access to employment opportunities and affordable health care. He has championed consumer protection, education, civil liberties and support for public safety. He was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War and abuses within the Bush Justice Department. Opposed to the Wall Street bailout, he championed efforts to redirect those funds to Main Street. As part of the Whip Team, he played an important role in assembling votes for the historic health care reform act -- the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

With a heavy emphasis on quality constituent services, in addition to his Washington office, he has established district offices in Lithonia and Tucker, Georgia. His district staff handles thousands of cases annually helping citizens to navigate the federal bureaucracy.

He has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of federal investment to the Fourth District for job creation, infrastructure, public safety, and business development.He has harnessed new media to connect with constituents directly via online tools such as Facebook and Twitter and in 2010 was ranked the most influential House Democrat on Twitter.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Johnson served twelve (12) years as a DeKalb County magistrate judge, five (5) years as a county commissioner and three (3) years as chair of the DeKalb County Budget Committee.

Rep. Johnson practiced civil and criminal law in DeKalb County for twenty-seven (27) years. A staunch supporter of public education, he is a graduate of the District of Columbia Public Schools, Clark College in Atlanta and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Rep. Johnson is married to Attorney Mereda Davis Johnson and has two children.

Georgia's 4th Congressional District includes portions of DeKalb, Rockdale and Gwinnett counties in the eastern suburbs of Atlanta.