March 13, 2025

Durbin, Judiciary Committee Democrats Vote Against Three Trump DOJ Nominees

WASHINGTON – During an executive business meeting, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and all Committee Democrats voted against three of President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) nominees: John Sauer to be Solicitor General, Harmeet Dhillon to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, and Aaron Reitz to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy.

On the votes, Durbin issued the following statement:

“Today, we considered three nominations for critical Justice Department roles. Unfortunately, I’ve concluded that the three nominees demonstrated unyielding loyalty to President Trump—and not the Constitution. All Committee Democrats stood against these nominees.

“Mr. Sauer suggested that court orders need not always be followed, as well as argued that a former President couldn’t be prosecuted for ordering the assassination of a political rival. Both of these instances are deeply troubling.

“Ms. Dhillon is another of President Trump’s personal attorneys, dismissing in her hearing the prospect of the President asking her to do something illegal or unconstitutional as a ‘hypothetical.’ We all know that this is not a hypothetical. Nothing in her record indicates that she will place the civil rights of all Americans—including voting rights and LGBTQ+ rights—above the President’s wishes.

“Mr. Reitz has demonstrated that he is completely unfit to serve in any role at the Department of Justice. Failing to unequivocally commit to following federal court orders—as Mr. Reitz did—should be disqualifying for any nominee before this Committee. Additionally, he attempted to hide his disturbing views on many topics, deleting approximately 4,000 social media posts. Nothing was off limits in the social media posts that we uncovered, with polarizing comments on abortion, same-sex marriage, the First Amendment, and more. He is unfit to lead.

“I encourage all Senators to scrutinize the nominees’ records with the rule of law in mind before voting on the Senate floor.”

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