The person who deserves a standing ovation after this week’s House speaker chaos is clerk Cheryl Johnson. She has been the calm presence at the front of the House chamber, keeping order with a gavel, a poker face and a lot of dignity. Without a speaker in place, she was temporarily in charge.
There was no rulebook for the role in which she found herself. In fact, there are no rules at all for the House until a new speaker takes over. The reason proceedings weren’t dysfunctional was largely because of Ms. Johnson’s ability to command respect — and even admiration — from Republicans and Democrats alike, asking rowdy representatives to refrain “from engaging in personalities toward other members-elect.”
Watching Ms. Johnson in action — along with reading clerks Susan Cole and Tylease Alli, who have called out all 435 representatives’ names over and over again — was a reminder that democracy relies not just on elected officials, but also on dedicated and largely apolitical civil servants. They kept order. They kept the House moving, even when the Republican majority appeared ungovernable. They did their jobs in a neutral way, showing no favor for any candidate. They didn’t even show emotion as disgraced former president Donald Trump received a vote for speaker.
Rarely does the name of a House clerk become well known, but Ms. Johnson, who has been in the role since 2019, has a special place in history: She’s the second African American clerk, the person who hand-carried the articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump to the Senate — twice — and for a time, an interim House leader. She has rightly received bipartisan praise this week and even some light-hearted calls for her to become speaker.
Her conduct is a model for all. Let’s hope she inspires young people who might be watching to realize that there are ways to serve the country that don’t involve shouting.
