Jeh Johnson#Department of Homeland Security

Johnson was born on September 11, 1957, in New York City, the son of Norma (Edelin), who worked for Planned Parenthood, and Jeh Vincent Johnson, an architect and lecturer at Vassar College.{{cite report|title=Nominations Before the Senate Armed Services Committee, 1st Session, 111th Congress|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330040739/http://fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/nominate.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-30|url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/nominate.pdf|url-status=live|date=2009}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/20/style/weddings-jeh-c-johnson-and-susan-m-dimarco.html|title=Weddings; Jeh C. Johnson and Susan DiMarco|date=March 20, 1994|website=The New York Times|access-date=February 22, 2015|archive-date=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222181804/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/20/style/weddings-jeh-c-johnson-and-susan-m-dimarco.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Jeh Vincent Johnson 1931–|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/johnson-jeh-vincent-1931|website=Contemporary Black Biography|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=October 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008180254/http://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/johnson-jeh-vincent-1931|url-status=live}} Jeh and Norma met through his friendship with her brother Milton. He and Milton were the only black students in their respective classes at Columbia University's School of Architecture.{{cite web |url=https://www.arch.columbia.edu/news/milton-yvonne-edelin-scholarship |title=Milton and Yvonne Edelin Scholarship |author= |website=Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation|access-date=2 Jan 2021 |quote=He was the only Black student in his class, and he became good friends with Jeh Johnson ‘53CC, '58GSAPP, the only black student in the class ahead of his. (Jeh would also later become his brother-in-law.)}} Among other notable family members, Norma's brother Kenneth C. Edelin was a physician and a defendant in a landmark case involving abortion rights.{{cite news |last1=McFadden |first1=Robert D. |date=31 Dec 2013 |title=Doctor was at center of landmark case |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/423340003/ |work=The New York Times |location=Atlanta, Georgia |page=B6 |access-date=2 Jan 2021 |url-access=subscription |quote=Besides his wife and four children, Edelin is survived by eight grandchildren; a brother, Milton; and a sister, Norma Edelin Johnson. }} And Jeh Vincent Johnson's father was Charles S. Johnson, a sociologist and president of Fisk University. The first name Jeh was taken from a Liberian chief, who reportedly saved his grandfather's life during a League of Nations mission to Liberia in 1930.{{Cite book|last=Johnson|first=Charles Spurgeon|author-link=Charles S. Johnson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2k8VbdgVpAC|title=Bitter Canaan|date=1987-12-01|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-1-4128-1871-1|language=en|page=1xxiii fn 171|access-date=November 26, 2020|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202054558/https://books.google.com/books?id=k2k8VbdgVpAC|url-status=live}}

Raised in Wappingers Falls, New York,{{Cite web |title=Watch the Wappinger Town Memorial Day Ceremony Featuring Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson – Town of Wappinger |url=https://townofwappingerny.gov/blog/wappinger-town-memorial-day-ceremony-to-be-live-in-person-at-brexel-schlathaus-park-on-monday-may-31/ |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=townofwappingerny.gov|date=May 13, 2021 }} Jeh Charles Johnson graduated from Roy C. Ketcham High School in 1975.{{Cite news|last1=Pace|first1=Julie|last2=Cassata|first2=Donna|title=Dutchess' Jeh Johnson could be next defense secretary|url=https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2014/11/27/jeh-johnson-defense-secretary/19598775/|access-date=2020-12-02|work=Poughkeepsie Journal|language=en-US|quote=Johnson, who previously served as the Pentagon's general counsel, is a 1975 graduate of Roy C. Ketcham High School in Wappingers Falls.|archive-date=December 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203061813/https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2014/11/27/jeh-johnson-defense-secretary/19598775/|url-status=live}} He later described himself as "a big underachiever," earning Cs and Ds in school, which he attributed to the scarcity of "African-American role models" in his mostly white community.{{Cite news|last=Galanes|first=Philip|date=2015-10-17|title='Homeland' Times Two: Claire Danes and Jeh Johnson|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/fashion/claire-danes-jeh-johnson.html|access-date=2020-12-02|issn=0362-4331|quote=JJ:... My dad was an architect, and he ended up teaching at Vassar for 37 years. But I was a big underachiever in school. PG: Was that rebellion? JJ: It was a predominantly white, mostly blue-collar town, and I didn’t have a lot of African-American role models. I became a C/D student.|archive-date=September 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929023054/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/fashion/claire-danes-jeh-johnson.html|url-status=live}} During his sophomore year in college, however, a vision of becoming an attorney, he said, finally inspired him to work to increase his "GPA above a dismal 1.8."{{Cite web|title=Jeh Johnson – ex-Secretary of Homeland Security|url=https://www.chambers-associate.com/the-big-interview/jeh-johnson-ex-secretary-of-homeland-security|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Chambers Associate|language=en|quote=Specifically, my first semester of sophomore year at Morehouse College, after I finally realized I was not going to be a professional baseball or football player. I had no more excuses to avoid the books, and lifting my GPA above a dismal 1.8.|archive-date=June 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623214720/http://www.chambers-associate.com/the-big-interview/jeh-johnson-ex-secretary-of-homeland-security|url-status=live}}

Johnson graduated from Morehouse College (B.A.) and Columbia Law School (J.D.). He is the recipient of thirteen honorary degrees.

Johnson began as an associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in November 1984, then left in 1989 to serve as an assistant United States Attorney in the public corruption section at the Southern District of New York. There, he prosecuted politicians, police, and immigration agents.{{Cite news|last=Clayton|first=Mark|date=2013-10-18|title=Homeland Security: Can Jeh Johnson handle agency's big challenges?|work=The Christian Science Monitor|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/1018/Homeland-Security-Can-Jeh-Johnson-handle-agency-s-big-challenges|access-date=2020-12-03|issn=0882-7729|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118095327/https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2013/1018/Homeland-Security-Can-Jeh-Johnson-handle-agency-s-big-challenges|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=January 1996|title=Jeh Johnson – 1996 40 Under 40 – Crain's New York Business Rising Star|url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/40under40/1996/Johnson|publisher=Crain's New York Business|access-date=June 21, 2018|archive-date=June 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621143312/http://www.crainsnewyork.com/40under40/1996/Johnson|url-status=live}}

Johnson returned to Paul, Weiss in 1992 and was elected partner (the first African-American partner at the firm) in 1994.

In 1998, Johnson was appointed General Counsel of the Air Force by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.{{cite web|title=Jeh Charles Johnson|url=http://www.paulweiss.com/lawyers/detail.aspx?attorney=479|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315225744/http://www.paulweiss.com/lawyers/detail.aspx?attorney=479|archive-date=March 15, 2008|publisher=Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison}} As General Counsel, Johnson was the senior legal official in the Air Force and the Governor of the Air Force-administered Wake Island.{{cite web|title=The US Military Is Pouring Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Into Tiny Wake Island |date=October 15, 2019 |url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/10/the-u-s-military-is-pouring-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-into-tiny-wake-island/ |publisher=Honolulu Civil Beat Inc. }} His tenure coincided with Operation Allied Force in 1999. He was awarded the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for his efforts.

After his service in the Clinton administration, Johnson returned to Paul, Weiss in 2001, where he tried large commercial cases.

Johnson was a member of the executive committee of the New York City Bar Association. From 2001 to 2004, he served as chairman of the City Bar's Judiciary Committee, which rates and approves all federal, state and local judges in New York City. In 2007, Johnson was shortlisted by the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination to be Chief Judge of New York{{Cite web|last=Caher|first=John|title=Kaye Heads List of Candidates For Court of Appeals' Top Slot|url=https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/almID/900005471802/|access-date=2020-11-26|website=New York Law Journal|date=2007-01-18|language=en|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202054609/https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/almID/900005471802/?slreturn=20201102004609|url-status=live}} though the incumbent, Judith Kaye, was ultimately reappointed by former Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Johnson was active in Democratic Party politics, as a fundraiser and adviser to presidential campaigns. Johnson served as special counsel to John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign,{{Cite news|last=Konigsberg|first=Eric|date=2007-02-24|title=In Clinton's Backyard, It's Open Season as an Obama Fund-Raiser Lines Up Donors|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/us/politics/24bundler.html|access-date=2020-11-27|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910181012/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/24/us/politics/24bundler.html|url-status=live}} and was an early supporter of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, active as a foreign policy adviser and as a member of his national finance committee.{{cite news|last=Horowitz|first=Jason|date=2007-10-02|title=Clinton Campaign Gets In Gloat Mode With $27 Million|work=The New York Observer|url=http://www.observer.com/2007/clinton-campaign-gets-gloat-mode-27-million|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230062434/http://www.observer.com/2007/clinton-campaign-gets-gloat-mode-27-million|archive-date=2007-12-30}}{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=Derrick Z.|title=The best place for the rule of law|work=The Boston Globe|date=2008-04-12|page=A13|id={{ProQuest|405117873}}|issn=0743-1791}}

File:Leon Panetta swearing in ceremony.jpg as Secretary of Defense.]]

On January 8, 2009, then President-elect Barack Obama announced Johnson's nomination as Department of Defense General Counsel.{{Cite news|last=Tyson|first=Ann Scott|date=2009-01-09|title=Obama Selects 4 More Senior Defense Officials|language=en-US|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010803483.html|access-date=2020-11-27|newspaper=The Washington Post|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=November 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122073419/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010803483.html|url-status=live}} On February 9, 2009, he was confirmed by the Senate by a voice vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/111th-congress/65/8|title=PN65-8 — Jeh Charles Johnson — Department of Defense|website=congress.gov|date=January 20, 2009|access-date=June 8, 2023}}

In 2009, Johnson was heavily involved in the reform of military commissions, and testified before Congress numerous times in support of the Military Commissions Act of 2009.{{Cite news|date=2009-07-11|title=Undoing the Damage|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/opinion/12sun1.html|access-date=2020-11-26|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127003335/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/opinion/12sun1.html|url-status=live}} In February 2010, the Secretary of Defense appointed Johnson to co-chair a working group, along with Army General Carter Ham, to study the potential impact of a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In November 2010, following an extensive study, Johnson and General Ham reported that the risk to overall military effectiveness of a repeal would be low.{{cite news|last1=O'Keefe|first1=Ed|last2=Whitlock|first2=Craig|title='Don't ask' opponents get a boost|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2010-12-01|page=A3|id={{ProQuest|814958659}} }}

As general counsel, Johnson gave a number of speeches on national security. In a speech delivered at The Heritage Foundation in October 2011, Johnson warned against "over-militarizing" the U.S. government's approach to counterterrorism: "There is risk in permitting and expecting the U.S. military to extend its powerful reach into areas traditionally reserved for civilian law enforcement in this country."{{cite news|last1=Finn|first1=Peter|title=Pentagon lawyer warns against over-militarizing anti-terror fight|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2011-10-19|page=A3|id={{ProQuest|898819950}} }} At a speech at Yale Law School in February 2012, Johnson defended "targeted killings".{{cite news|last1=Barnes|first1=Julian E.|title=Top Pentagon Lawyer Defends Targeted Killings|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=2012-02-23|page=A11|id={{ProQuest|922740568}} }}

At the Oxford Union in November 2012, shortly before his resignation, Johnson delivered an address titled "The conflict against al Qaeda and its affiliates: how will it end?" In that speech, he predicted a "tipping point" at which the U.S. government's efforts against al Qaeda should no longer be considered an armed conflict, but a more traditional law enforcement effort against individual terrorists. Johnson stated:

"War" must be regarded as a finite, extraordinary and unnatural state of affairs. War permits one man—if he is a "privileged belligerent," consistent with the laws of war—to kill another. War violates the natural order of things, in which children bury their parents; in war parents bury their children. In its 12th year, we must not accept the current conflict, and all that it entails, as the "new normal." Peace must be regarded as the norm toward which the human race continually strives.

The Oxford Union speech received widespread press attention,{{Cite news|last=Barnes|first=Julian E.|date=2012-11-30|title=Pentagon Lawyer Looks Post-Terror|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324205404578151181874456280.html|access-date=2020-12-02|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=May 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509000900/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324205404578151181874456280.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Savage|first=Charlie|date=2012-12-01|title=Pentagon Counsel Speaks of Post-Qaeda Challenges|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/us/politics/pentagon-counsel-looks-ahead-to-post-qaeda-legal-challenges.html|access-date=2020-12-02|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202054609/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/us/politics/pentagon-counsel-looks-ahead-to-post-qaeda-legal-challenges.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Hopkins|first=Nick|date=2012-11-30|title=US heading for point when 'military pursuit of al-Qaida should end'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/30/us-war-against-al-qaida|access-date=2020-12-02|work=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032828/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/30/us-war-against-al-qaida|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Henderson|first=Barney|date=2012-11-30|title=US 'approaching tipping point when military conflict with al-Qaeda should end'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/9715621/US-approaching-tipping-point-when-military-conflict-with-al-Qaeda-should-end.html|access-date=2020-12-02|work=The Daily Telegraph|language=en-GB|archive-date=August 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828022245/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/9715621/US-approaching-tipping-point-when-military-conflict-with-al-Qaeda-should-end.html|url-status=live}} and editorial acclaim as the first such statement coming from an Obama administration official.{{Cite news|last=Zakaria|first=Fareed|author-link=Fareed Zakaria|date=2012-12-06|title=End the war on terror and save billions|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-end-the-war-on-terror-and-save-billions/2012/12/06/a468db2a-3fc4-11e2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html|access-date=2020-12-02|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=November 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114132614/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-end-the-war-on-terror-and-save-billions/2012/12/06/a468db2a-3fc4-11e2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_story.html|url-status=live}}

According to published reports, Johnson personally authored the legal opinion that provided the basis for U.S. special operations forces to go into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden.{{Cite news|last=Savage|first=Charlie|author-link=Charlie Savage (author)|date=2015-10-28|title=How 4 Federal Lawyers Paved the Way to Kill Osama bin Laden (Published 2015)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/us/politics/obama-legal-authorization-osama-bin-laden-raid.html|access-date=2020-11-27|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108171752/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/us/politics/obama-legal-authorization-osama-bin-laden-raid.html|url-status=live}}

File:Secretary Johnson pays Respect at Pulse Nightclub (29619439761).jpg after shooting which left 49 people dead in Orlando]]

Johnson was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the fourth U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security in October 2013, and was subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate on December 16, 2013, by a 78–16 vote.{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1131/vote_113_1_00276.htm|title=On the Nomination (Confirmation Jeh Charles Johnson, of New Jersey, to be Secretary of Homeland Security)|website=United States Senate|date=December 16, 2013|access-date=June 8, 2023}}{{Cite news|last=Kim|first=Seung Min|author-link=Seung Min Kim|title=Johnson OK'd for Homeland Security|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/jeh-johnson-department-of-homeland-security-senate-101213|access-date=2020-11-26|work=Politico|date=2013-12-16|language=en|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115155715/https://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/jeh-johnson-department-of-homeland-security-senate-101213|url-status=live}} He was sworn in on December 23, 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/secretary-jeh-johnson|title=Jeh Charles Johnson|publisher=United States Department of Homeland Security|access-date=February 1, 2017|date=January 20, 2017|archive-date=April 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413002920/https://www.dhs.gov/secretary-jeh-johnson|url-status=live}}

When Johnson entered office one of his top priorities was to fill all of the high level vacancies. By April 2015 the President had appointed and the Senate confirmed all but one of Johnson's senior leader positions.{{Cite web|title = Unity of Effort: One Year Later {{!}} Homeland Security|url = https://www.dhs.gov/blog/2015/04/22/unity-effort-one-year-later|website = www.dhs.gov|accessdate = 2015-10-20|date = April 22, 2015}} One of Johnson's first major efforts as Secretary was his unity of effort initiative to set the conditions for the department to operate in a more unified fashion and develop a culture that recognizes and responds adequately to the diverse challenges the Department of Homeland Security faces.

In the spring and summer of 2014 the southern border of the United States experienced a large influx of immigrants, many of whom were children, coming from Central America.{{Cite web|title = Statement by Secretary Johnson About the Situation Along the Southwest Border {{!}} Homeland Security|url = https://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/09/08/statement-secretary-johnson-about-situation-along-southwest-border|website = www.dhs.gov|accessdate = 2015-10-05|date = September 8, 2014}} Secretary Johnson and his department worked with the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate a response to address the immigrants' needs. In June, U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services asylum officers were reassigned to conduct credible fear interviews, while prioritizing the cases of recently apprehended unaccompanied children, adults with children, and other recent border crossers. At the same time, Secretary Johnson asked for the support of Congress to increase border security and prevent more spikes like this from happening again. After the flow of immigrant children to the United States, the Department of Homeland Security established three family residential centers, and they immediately became the focus of much controversy.{{Cite web|title = I Know an American 'Internment' Camp When I See One| date=May 21, 2015 |url = https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/i-know-american-internment-camp-when-i-see-one|accessdate = 2015-10-05}} The ACLU has compared them to Japanese internment camps and in July 2015 a U.S. District Court Judge in California ordered that the family residential centers comply with a 1997 settlement concerning the detention of children.

File:Islamic Society of North America (28902097714).jpg convention in Chicago in September 2016]]

During the summer and fall of 2014, Secretary Johnson oversaw the Department of Homeland Security's response to the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa.{{Cite web|title = Ebola Response {{!}} Homeland Security|url = https://www.dhs.gov/ebola-response|website = www.dhs.gov|accessdate = 2015-10-05}} The Ebola epidemic was the largest in history, and impacted multiple West African countries. In response, the Department of Homeland Security developed policies, procedures and protocols to identify travelers for screening who could have been potentially infected to minimize the risk to the traveling public. This response was chosen by the department over limiting travel visas to the United States, which Secretary Johnson contended would have been a mistake given the leadership position of the U.S. and likelihood of influencing other countries to take the same action.{{Cite web|url = https://www.dhs.gov/news/2015/09/16/remarks-secretary-homeland-security-jeh-c-johnson-%E2%80%9Cachieving-our-homeland-security|title = Remarks By Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh C. Johnson On "Achieving Our Homeland Security While Preserving Our Values And Our Liberty" At Westminster College – As Delivered|date = September 16, 2015|accessdate = September 16, 2015|website = dhs.gov|publisher = Department of Homeland Security|last = |first = }}

File:Super Bowl 50 (24875671086).jpg security prior to Super Bowl 50]]

After the House of Representatives failed to act on Bill S. 744, Secretary Johnson and President Obama issued ten new executive actions on November 20, 2014, to address the 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States.{{Cite web|title = Immigration Action|url = https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-action|website = www.dhs.gov|access-date = 2015-10-05|archive-date = July 12, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160712171457/https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-action|url-status = live}}{{Third-party inline|date=December 2020}} Johnson is said to have worked heavily on drafting the executive actions at the behest of the President.{{Cite news|last1=Palmer|first1=Anna|last2=Kim|first2=Seung Min|last3=Brown|first3=Carrie Budoff|date=2014-11-20|title=How Obama got here|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/how-obama-got-here-113077|access-date=2020-11-27|work=Politico|language=en|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125031030/https://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/how-obama-got-here-113077|url-status=live}}

For the inauguration of Donald Trump, Johnson was chosen as the designated survivor and would have become the next president if a disaster or attack had occurred.{{cite news|last=Fabian|first=Jordan|date=January 20, 2017|title=Jeh Johnson is designated survivor for inauguration|newspaper=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315274-jeh-johnson-is-designated-survivor-for-inauguration/|access-date=January 20, 2017|archive-date=January 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120173457/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315274-jeh-johnson-is-designated-survivor-for-inauguration|url-status=live}}

After leaving office in January 2017, Johnson rejoined the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City.{{Cite web|last=Lat|first=David|author-link=David Lat|title=Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson Returns Home — To Paul, Weiss|url=https://abovethelaw.com/2017/01/homeland-security-secretary-jeh-johnson-returns-home-to-paul-weiss/|access-date=2020-11-26|website=Above the Law|date=January 23, 2017|language=en-US|postscript=As "designated survivor", Johnson served as Trump's homeland security secretary for 7 hours, 32 min, on January 20, 2017, until his successor was confirmed.}} He is also a member of the boards of directors of MetLife,{{Cite web|url=https://investor.metlife.com/news/news-details/2023/Jeh-Johnson-Named-to-MetLifes-Board-of-Directors/default.aspx |title=Jeh Johnson Named to MetLife's Board of Directors }} the National September 11 Memorial & Museum,{{Cite web|url=https://911memorial.org/about/board-trustees/jeh-johnson|title=Jeh Johnson | National September 11 Memorial & Museum|website=911memorial.org|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126173208/https://911memorial.org/about/board-trustees/jeh-johnson|url-status=live}} WBGO,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbgo.org/board-trustees|title=Board of Trustees|website=www.wbgo.org|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=April 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427005817/https://www.wbgo.org/board-trustees|url-status=live}} and a trustee of Columbia University. He is also now a frequent commentator on NBC's Meet the Press, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, NewsNation, Bloomberg Television, and other networks, and the author of numerous op-eds. Johnson also hosts a radio show on FM public radio station WBGO, based in Newark, New Jersey, All Things Soul, that features classic R&B music and commentary, along with interviews.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbgo.org/tags/jeh-johnson|title = Jeh Johnson, WBGO}}

In June 2018, he was an outspoken critic of the Trump administration's family separation practice at the border.{{Cite news|last=Capehart|first=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan Capehart|title=Jeh Johnson on separating immigrant families: 'It's just something I couldn't do'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/06/25/jeh-johnson-on-separating-immigrant-families-its-just-something-i-couldnt-do/|access-date=2020-11-27|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en-US|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430203406/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/06/25/jeh-johnson-on-separating-immigrant-families-its-just-something-i-couldnt-do/|url-status=live}} Several days later, he wrote to criticize calls to abolish ICE.{{Cite news|last=Johnson|first=Jeh Charles|date=2018-07-06|title=Abolishing ICE is not a serious policy proposal|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ice-needs-reform-not-abolition/2018/07/06/5d2cec0e-8133-11e8-b658-4f4d2a1aeef1_story.html|access-date=2020-11-27|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430203403/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ice-needs-reform-not-abolition/2018/07/06/5d2cec0e-8133-11e8-b658-4f4d2a1aeef1_story.html|url-status=live}} Johnson has called for a more civil dialogue from political leaders on both sides of the aisle.{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/431597-words-have-consequences-lessons-for-political-leaders-on-both-sides/|title=Words have consequences: Lessons for political leaders on both sides|first=Donald|last=Gilliland|date=February 26, 2019|work=The Hill|access-date=April 30, 2019|archive-date=April 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430203401/https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/431597-words-have-consequences-lessons-for-political-leaders-on-both-sides|url-status=live}} In December 2021, he co-authored with Leon Panetta, Jane Herman and Bill Bratton, a statement arguing against parole for Sirhan Sirhan, the convicted killer of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/sirhan-sirhan-killing-robert-kennedy-was-crime-against-america-ncna1286067|title = Opinion | Sirhan Sirhan's crime against America|website = NBC News| date=December 16, 2021 }}

In December 2018, Secretary Johnson was the recipient of the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, presented at the Reagan Presidential Library, for “contributing greatly to the defense of our nation” and “guiding us through turbulent times with courage and wisdom.” He has received numerous other awards and acknowledgments, including three Department of Defense medals for distinguished public service.https://www.reaganfoundation.org/media/299036/rndf-release-peace-through-strength-award-2018-final.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} In December 2021, Johnson was a recipient of The American Lawyer's Lifetime Achievement Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2021/11/23/an-american-statesman-jeh-johnson-has-devoted-his-career-to-the-public-interest/?slreturn=20220007123335|title = An American Statesman: Jeh Johnson Has Devoted His Career to the Public Interest}} In May 2022, Johnson was the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.{{Cite web|url=http://medalists.eihonors.org/index.html|title = Ellis Island Medals of Honor Archive}}

Johnson also delivered the convocation address at Liberty University on September 11, 2020, in which he discussed the importance of morality in political leadership.{{Cite news|last=Kruse|first=Michael|date=2020-09-10|title=Why an Obama Loyalist Is Speaking at Liberty University About Moral Leadership|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/09/10/why-an-obama-loyalist-is-speaking-at-liberty-university-about-moral-leadership-412021|access-date=2020-11-27|work=Politico|language=en|archive-date=September 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913120357/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/09/10/why-an-obama-loyalist-is-speaking-at-liberty-university-about-moral-leadership-412021|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberty.edu/news/2020/09/11/former-secretary-of-homeland-security-jeh-johnson-shares-leadership-lessons/|last=Smith|first=Garold|title=Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson shares leadership lessons|publisher=Liberty University|date=September 11, 2020|access-date=September 13, 2020|archive-date=September 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912230725/https://www.liberty.edu/news/2020/09/11/former-secretary-of-homeland-security-jeh-johnson-shares-leadership-lessons/|url-status=dead}}

In April 2020, Governor Phil Murphy appointed Johnson to represent New Jersey in the seven-state regional working group to develop a plan for reopening the economy following the COVID-19 crisis.{{Cite news|last=Munoz|first=Daniel J.|date=2020-04-16|title=Murphy names picks to regional council to reopen Mid-Atlantic economies|url=https://njbiz.com/murphy-names-picks-regional-council-reopen-mid-atlantic-economies/|access-date=2020-12-02|website=NJBIZ|language=en-US|archive-date=April 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424213859/https://njbiz.com/murphy-names-picks-regional-council-reopen-mid-atlantic-economies/|url-status=live}}

In June 2020, Chief Judge of New York State Janet DiFiore, appointed Johnson as Special Advisor on Equal Justice in the courts.{{Cite news|last=Alder|first=Madison|date=2020-06-09|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/jeh-johnson-tapped-by-new-york-courts-to-lead-racial-bias-review|title=Jeh Johnson Tapped by New York Courts to Lead Racial Bias Review|work=Bloomberg Law|access-date=June 18, 2020|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621034658/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/jeh-johnson-tapped-by-new-york-courts-to-lead-racial-bias-review|url-status=live}} After a four-month review, Johnson issued a 100-page public report that contained a number of recommendations. In the report Johnson noted:

“[I]n one form or another, multiple interviewees from all perspectives still complain about an under-resourced, over-burdened New York State court system, the dehumanizing effect it has on litigants, and the disparate impact of all this on people of color. Housing, Family, Civil and Criminal courts of New York City, in particular, continue to be faced with extremely high volumes of cases, fewer resources to hear those cases and aging facilities. Over and over, we heard about the ‘dehumanizing’ and ‘demeaning cattle-call culture’ in these high-volume courts. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of civil and criminal litigants in the Housing, Family, Civil and Criminal courts in New York City are people of color. The sad picture that emerges is, in effect, a second-class system of justice for people of color in New York state.”{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycourts.gov/whatsnew/pdf/SpecialAdviserEqualJusticeReport.pdf|title = Report from the Special Adviser on Equal Justice in the New York State Courts}}

In August 2023, the president of the American Bar Association asked Johnson and former federal appellate judge J. Michael Luttig to lead a national task force to recommend ways to restore public trust in American democracy.{{Cite web|url= https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2023/08/aba-launches-task-force-for-american-democracy/|title = ABA launches Task Force for American Democracy to educate citizenry, improve voter confidence}} In June 2023, the president of the New York State Bar Association asked Johnson to co-chair a task force to study the impact of the Supreme Court's decision in the Harvard and UNC cases on affirmative action.{{Cite web|url= https://nysba.org/task-force-chaired-by-jeh-johnson-brad-karp-to-reivew-legal-strategies-for-maintaining-diversity-in-wake-of-u-s-supreme-court-decision-on-affirmative-action/|title = Task Force Chaired by Jeh Johnson, Brad Karp To Review Legal Strategies for Maintaining Diversity in Wake of U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action| date=June 29, 2023 }} In 2020, Johnson was floated as a possible candidate for United States Secretary of Defense, United States Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence in the Biden administration.{{cite news |title=Who Are Contenders for Biden's Cabinet? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/politics/biden-cabinet.html |access-date=11 November 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=11 November 2020 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115172328/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/politics/biden-cabinet.html |url-status=live }} In February 2023, Johnson and his family history were profiled on PBS's Finding your Roots.{{cite news |title=Jeh Charles Johnson |url=https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/about/meet-our-guests/jeh-charles-johnson |access-date=1 March 2023 |work=PBS |date=21 February 2023 }} In January 2024, Johnson was the recipient of the gold medal, the New York State Bar Association's “highest honor."{{cite news |title='A Good Life' : Paul Weiss' Jeh Johnson Accepting NYSBA Award, Reflects on Career of Service|url=https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2024/01/19/a-good-life-paul-weiss-jeh-johnson-accepting-nysba-award-reflects-on-career-of-service/ |work=New York Law Journal |date=19 January 2024 }}

On May 5, 2025, it was announced that Johnson was appointed co-chair of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University, and that Johnson would retire from Paul Weiss effective June 30, 2025.{{cite web | url=https://secretary.columbia.edu/news/jeh-johnson-named-co-chair-board-trustees | title=Jeh Johnson Named Co-Chair of Board of Trustees | Office of the Secretary }}

On March 18, 1994, Johnson married Susan Maureen DiMarco, a dentist, at Corpus Christi Church of New York City. The pair had grown up across the street from one other in Wappingers Falls, New York.{{Cite news |last=Brady |first=Lois Smith |date=1994-04-10 |title=Jeh Johnson and Susan DiMarco |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/10/style/vows-jeh-johnson-and-susan-dimarco.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030074741/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/10/style/vows-jeh-johnson-and-susan-dimarco.html |archive-date=October 30, 2016 |access-date=2020-11-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} At the request of the Secretary of the Navy, Dr. DiMarco was the sponsor at the christening of the USS New Jersey, a Virginia-class submarine.{{cite web | url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2841792/navy-to-christen-submarine-new-jersey/ | title=Navy to Christen Submarine New Jersey }}

He has been a resident of Montclair, New Jersey.Stirling, Stephen. [https://www.nj.com/essex/2013/10/montclair_resident_jeh_johnson_to_be_named_homeland_security_secretary.html "Montclair resident Jeh Johnson to be named U.S. Homeland Security secretary"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203061814/https://www.nj.com/essex/2013/10/montclair_resident_jeh_johnson_to_be_named_homeland_security_secretary.html |date=December 3, 2020 }}, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 17, 2013, updated March 30, 2019. Accessed December 2, 2020. "Montclair resident Jeh Johnson will be nominated by President Obama as the next Homeland Security secretary, according to a U.S. Senate aide briefed by the White House on the nomination."

Johnson was in New York City during the September 11 attacks, which coincided with his 44th birthday.{{cite news|last1=Nakashima|first1=Ellen|author-link=Ellen Nakashima|title=Jeh Johnson nominated as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2013-10-19|issn=0190-8286|id={{ProQuest|1443165796}}|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jeh-johnson-nominated-as-secretary-of-the-department-of-homeland-security/2013/10/18/8e96fd34-382c-11e3-ae46-e4248e75c8ea_story.html|access-date=February 1, 2017|archive-date=October 24, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131024024953/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jeh-johnson-nominated-as-secretary-of-the-department-of-homeland-security/2013/10/18/8e96fd34-382c-11e3-ae46-e4248e75c8ea_story.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|date=February 7, 2014|title=Remarks by Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson at the Woodrow Wilson Center|url=https://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/02/07/remarks-secretary-homeland-security-jeh-johnson-woodrow-wilson-center|access-date=May 2, 2019|website=Department of Homeland Security|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419193041/https://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/02/07/remarks-secretary-homeland-security-jeh-johnson-woodrow-wilson-center|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Straw|first=Joseph|title=Homeland Security nominee Jeh Johnson: 'I am a New Yorker'|work=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/homeland-security-nominee-jeh-johnson-new-yorker-article-1.1490278|access-date=February 1, 2017|archive-date=March 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314004309/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/homeland-security-nominee-jeh-johnson-new-yorker-article-1.1490278|url-status=live}} He has frequently referred to the attacks in his speeches.{{cite news|last=Memoli|first=Michael A.|date=December 16, 2013|title=Jeh Johnson confirmed as Homeland Security secretary|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-dhs-johnson-20131217-story.html|access-date=February 1, 2017|archive-date=January 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118213408/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/16/nation/la-na-dhs-johnson-20131217|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Peralta|first1=Eyder|date=2013-10-18|title=Obama Nominates Jeh Johnson To Head Homeland Security|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/10/18/237108507/obama-nominates-jeh-johnson-to-head-homeland-security|access-date=February 1, 2017|archive-date=March 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314062644/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/10/18/237108507/obama-nominates-jeh-johnson-to-head-homeland-security|url-status=live}}

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