Retropolis A 400-pound gavel? The story of a symbol of congressional power and its heavy-handed abusers. After Nancy Pelosi was elected House speaker Thursday, she was given a wooden mallet with a ...

Prior to handing the gavel to the new Speaker, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries mad… After a three-week vacancy, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be Speaker.

Passing One Of Many, Many Gavels The House of Representatives goes through a bunch of the lacquered wooden mallets every year, as they're broken from frequent use or given away as gifts.

The new gavel is shaped like an hourglass and has no handle. It was first used on Nov . 17, 1954. It replaced a gavel that had been in continuous use since the birth of the Republic in 1789.