Senate Judiciary Committee Announces First Year Accomplishments Under Chair Durbin

WASHINGTON - On February 2, 2021, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took a new title: Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the following 11 months, the Committee has addressed key challenges confronting the country-including voting rights, gun violence prevention, immigration, and criminal justice reform-and confirmed highly qualified nominees who are bringing balance and impartiality back to our justice system. Key moments from the Senate Judiciary Committee's first sessi… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Members Of Delegation Call On Amazon To Review Safety Procedures Following Collapse Of Edwardsville Warehouse

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Marie Newman (D-IL-03), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), and Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today sent a letter to Ama… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1.2 Million For Kane County Diversion Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $1.2 million in federal funding to the Kane County Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, will support a new program designed to provide access to health care and other supportive services outside of the criminal legal system. "The opioid epidemic continues to be a major challenge for communities of every demographic," Durbin said. "Access to services out… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4.3 Million For COVID-19 Telehealth Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4.3 million in federal funding to several Illinois health care providers for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, building on an initiative established as part of the CARES Act. The funding, awarded by the Federal Communications Commission, supports the efforts of health care providers to continue serving their patients by providing reimbursement for telecommunications services, information services, and connec… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker Applaud Justice Department Decision To Reconsider Trump-Era Opinion And Allow Thousands Of Individuals To Remain On Home Confinement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, today released the following joint statement after Attorney General Garland announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reconsidered a Trump-era Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion that would have required individuals on CARES Act home confinement to return to prison a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Booker Applaud Justice Department Decision To Reconsider Trump-Era Opinion And Allow Thousands Of Individuals To Remain On Home Confinement

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, today released the following joint statement after Attorney General Garland announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reconsidered a Trump-era Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion that would have required individuals on CARES Act home confinement to return to prison a… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $4 Million For America's Central Port In Granite City

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $4.1 million in federal funding to America's Central Port in Granite City, Illinois, one of the largest freight hubs in the Midwest. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, will support improvements to a berth and cargo transfer location at the port's Granite City Harbor facility. "America's Central Port is integral to the Metro East economy and our nation… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1.4 Million In DOJ Funding To Strengthen Reentry Strategies And Reduce Recidivism

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $1,464,808 in Department of Justice (DOJ) awards for Illinois communities to help prevent recidivism, improve reentry strategies, and reduce crime. The funding, awarded by DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), will go to Heartland Alliance's READI Program in Chicago and Winnebago County's Resource Intervention Center in Rockford. "The funding announc… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth, Mayor Lightfoot, Members Of Delegation, Urge Army Corps Of Engineers To Prioritize Funding For Chicago Shoreline Storm Damage Reduction Project

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, along with U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), and Marie Newman (D-IL-03), today sent a letter to the Army Corp of Engineers urging the Corps to use the funds provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to invest in the Chicago Shoreline Storm Da… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Federal Judge Rejecting Purdue Pharma's Bankruptcy Scheme

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after a federal judge rejected OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement, which would have provided the Sackler family with sweeping legal immunity from thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic: "For years, Purdue Pharma flooded America with painkillers and lies, profiting off the addiction epidemic they created. The Sacklers created enor… Continue Reading

Durbin, Senate And House Dems: Will Johnson & Johnson Continue To Avoid Accountability To Cancer Victims?

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12); and Chair of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) today sent a letter to the incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Johnson & Johnson objecting to the company's efforts to manipulate… Continue Reading

Durbin, Schumer, Menendez, Cortez Masto, Luján, Padilla on Parliamentarian's Opinion on Immigration Provisions in the Build Back Better Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Alex Padilla (D-CA) released the following joint statement on the Senate Parliamentarian's latest opinion regarding the inclusion of Democrats' immigration provisions in the Build Back Better Act, which would offer legal protections to millions of undocumented immigrants: "We strongly disagree with the Senate parliamentarian's interpretation o… Continue Reading

Durbin, Cornyn, Portman, Shaheen, Members Introduce Bipartisan Resolution To Support Ukraine Against Russia Military Invasion

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today led a bipartisan group of 10 Senators in introducing a resolution expressing support for an independent and democratic Ukraine-one that is secure against further Russian military aggression. The resolution comes as Russian forces build up on the Ukrainia… Continue Reading

Durbin: We Need To Modernize & Reauthorize The Violence Against Women Act

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of the recently announced bipartisan framework to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The bipartisan framework was announced earlier today by Durbin and Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). "This afternoon, Senators Ernst, Feinstein, Murkowski, and myself announced th… Continue Reading

In Speech On Senate Floor, Durbin Speaks In Support Of Lithuania's Defense Of Democracy, Calls Out Lukashenko As "Europe's Last Dictator"

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, took to the Senate floor today to express his support for Lithuania as the nation faces repeated threats of Russian aggression and Chinese economic intimidation. In his remarks, Durbin touched on Lithuania's history of resilience and strong voice for democracy and called for a continuation of the long-standing U.S.-Baltic friendship. "For half a century, millions lived under the t… Continue Reading

In Letter To President Biden, Durbin, Duckworth Announce Candidates For Federal District Court In The Northern District Of Illinois

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced seven candidates for President Biden's consideration for current and future vacancies on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: Jeffrey Cummings, Jeremy Daniel, Nicholas Gowen, LaShonda A. Hunt, Lindsay Jenkins, Nancy Maldonado, and Karen Sheley. "We appreciate the opportunity to provide assistance and input in fil… Continue Reading

Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of Four District Court Judges

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Bridget Meehan Brennan, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; John H. Chun, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington; Charles Esque Fleming, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; and David Augustin Ruiz, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio. Brennan received a vote of 16-6; Chun received a v… Continue Reading

In Speech On The Senate Floor, Durbin Thanks Dr. Francis Collins For His Dedication As NIH Director

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor to honor Dr. Francis Collins as he prepares to step down from his position as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to return to his lab at NIH's Human Genome Research Institute. "He has led the NIH for 12 years, under three presidents - Democrat and Republican - making him the longest-tenured head of the agency since presidents began selecting NIH directors 50 years ago. What distinguishes F… Continue Reading

Durbin Questions Judge Nathan, Nominated To Second Circuit, In Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked Alison J. Nathan, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, about her experience clerking for the late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and what she learned from him. "You spoke at his memorial service and made a statement about what he meant to you and what he represented in terms of the image o… Continue Reading

Senate Confirms Jennifer Sung To Ninth Circuit Of Appeals

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jennifer Sung's nomination to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Ms. Sung's confirmation: "Throughout her extraordinary tenure on the Oregon Employment Relations Board, Jennifer Sung has demonstrated a commitment to impartiality, a thoughtful approach to decision-making, and a keen ability to separate her perso… Continue Reading