When a new Congress gavels in Friday, Jamie Raskin will recast himself in the role that has defined his Capitol Hill tenure: resisting Donald Trump.

Weeks ahead of Trump’s inauguration, the Maryland congressman will take over as the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee. In a letter to colleagues, he vowed the panel would serve as “the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism and MAGA’s campaign to dismantle our Constitutional system and the rule of law as we know it.”

Raskin has been at the forefront of the Trump resistance before. He rose to national prominence prosecuting Trump’s second impeachment trial and serving on a committee that sought to hold the former and future president accountable for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

His latest turn in the spotlight comes as Democrats face pressure to shake up their leadership following sweeping electoral losses in November. Many colleagues view Raskin, a 62-year-old constitutional law scholar with a broad national following, as an intellectual, aggressive and articulate leader equipped for the political battles of the next Trump era.

“He’s got all angles covered, I think, with respect to the experience on the legal front, the political front, the managerial front, the messaging front,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland, a Judiciary Committee member. “He’s got all that you could ask for in a leader.”

Raskin, who represents part of Montgomery County, said he hadn’t considered pursuing a top role on the Judiciary Committee until his colleagues urged him to do so, weeks after a Trump victory that plunged his party into a bitter reckoning.

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York had led Democrats on the panel since 2017, but many questioned whether the 77-year-old was up to the task of confronting Trump and Republican majorities in Congress.

“The basic rationale,” Raskin said of seeking the position, “was that we’re in the fight of our lives.”

Raskin was officially chosen for his new post in mid-December, winning a unanimous vote of the House Democratic Caucus after Nadler withdrew from consideration.

“I have great respect for Jerry Nadler,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, a former House member. “I think the House Democratic Caucus members also shared that respect. But they saw Jamie Raskin as somebody who could better communicate the views of the Democrats.”

Raskin’s takeover is another example of a recent trend: Democrats have begun prioritizing talent over seniority for key leadership posts, said Breanna Gray, an assistant government and politics professor at the University of Maryland who researches Congress.

In the most notable case, President Joe Biden yielded the Democratic presidential nomination in July to Vice President Kamala Harris amid concerns about his age. And in 2022, octogenarian Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn stepped down from House Democratic leadership — though Pelosi, a former Speaker, continues to wield considerable influence.

Still, Gray said, “Democrats are transitioning the reins from the old guard to this new generation — a new guard of political representation.”

Raskin most recently served as the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. He used the perch to challenge the GOP’s push to impeach and investigate Biden — and in doing so, sparred with close Trump allies leading those efforts. The experience, he said, amounted to “daily political combat.”

Raskin showed himself to be “one of the most adept and smart committee leaders that this Congress has right now,” said Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland, a member of the oversight panel.

“Having served now in that role for the last two years, fighting good battles and a good fight, Jamie has been tempered, he has been sharpened and he has been made even wiser to some of the things that will come,” Mfume said.

Raskin was a natural choice to slide over to the Judiciary Committee, several Democrats said, because of his extensive legal background, which includes over 25 years as a constitutional law professor. The panel’s responsibilities include overseeing the president, courts and law enforcement agencies and ensuring they abide by the law.

Under Trump, the Judiciary Committee is likely to become a key battleground in fights over immigration, abortion and checks on presidential power.

“Especially at a time when our democracy is under threat and when the incoming administration is threatening to weaponize the Department of Justice, it’s going to be very important to have Jamie Raskin as the ranking member on that committee to hold people’s feet to the fire and demand accountability,” Van Hollen said.

Colleagues also see Raskin as a deft communicator, known for blending his intellect with cutting wit, sarcasm and humor. They say elevating effective messengers is especially important in the Trump era, where pugnaciousness and rhetorical flair often overshadow substantive policy positions.

On the Judiciary Committee, Raskin will square off against Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a bellicose Trump loyalist who serves as the panel’s chair.

“Jamie can make [an argument] funny, he can make it sharp and he can make it biting,” said Brian Frosh, a former Maryland Attorney General who filed dozens of lawsuits against the first Trump administration. “He has the ability to make the subject matter interesting, as well as to educate people and persuade people.”

Set to begin his fifth term in the House Friday, Raskin has been at the center of major political moments while confronting profound personal trials.

In December 2020, his 25-year-old son, Tommy, died by suicide. The Jan. 6 attacks occurred the day after his funeral. Soon, Raskin was leading the effort to impeach Trump over his role in the riots.

Two years later, Raskin was diagnosed with lymphoma, marking his second battle with cancer. He received treatment as he began his high-profile role on the Oversight Committee. In April 2023, he announced that his cancer was in remission.

“It’s an indication of his commitment to our democracy and our country that he’s been able to persevere and demonstrate the ability to move ahead, even under very adverse personal circumstances,” Van Hollen said.

Raskin said what he’s survived in recent years has strengthened his commitment to his principles and deepened his fighting spirit.

“We’ve had some hard times in our family ... but I know that there are always people who are having a tougher, harder time than we are,” Raskin said. “So we don’t have the luxury of just opting out at this point. It’s not just American democracy that’s on the line. It’s democracy and freedom everywhere.”