Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
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
12.21.21
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
12.17.21
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
12.15.21
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
12.15.21
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
12.15.21
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Latest Circuit & District Court Nominations Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Alison J. Nathan, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Georgette Castner, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California; Julie Rebecca Rubin, to be United S… Continue Reading
12.13.21
Durbin Questions Second Witness Panel At Senate Judiciary Committee Chicago Field Hearing On Reducing Gun Trafficking And Violence
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and Roseanna Ander, Founding Executive Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, during the second witness panel of the Senate Judiciary Committee field hearing entitled "Combating Gun Trafficking and Reducing Violence in Chicago." Among his questions, Durbin asked Superintendent Brown about the stress and str… Continue Reading
12.13.21
Senate Confirms Lucy Koh To Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Lucy Koh'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. Koh's confirmation: "In her tenure on the Northern District of California, Judge Koh has done precisely what we expect of federal judges: applied the law in an evenhanded and impartial way. Her judicial skill, legal abilities, and record on the… Continue Reading
12.13.21
Durbin Questions First Witness Panel At Senate Judiciary Committee Chicago Field Hearing On Reducing Gun Trafficking And Violence
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned John Lausch, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Dr. Debra Houry, Acting Principal Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the first witness panel of the Senate Judiciary Committee field… Continue Reading
12.09.21
Durbin, Joined By Lee & Grassley, Attempts To Pass Bipartisan Inspector General Access Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today on the Senate floor requested unanimous consent (UC) to pass bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) has no authority to investigate professional misconduct by DOJ lawyers. DOJ is the only agency whose IG has such a jurisdictio… Continue Reading
12.09.21
Judiciary Committee Advances Legislation To Remove Pacer Paywall, Increase Accessibility To Court Records
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced S. 2614, Open Courts Act of 2021, bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and cosponsored by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, by voice vote. This legislation-more commonly known as the "Free PACER" bill-would modernize the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts' electronic record system and eliminate the PACER p… Continue Reading
12.07.21
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Confirmation Of Gregory Harris To Be Central District Of Illinois U.S. Attorney
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 released the following statement regarding the confirmation of Gregory Harris to be U.S. Attorney in the Central District of Illinois: "Having served for nearly 30 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, more than a decade in private practice, and several years in the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender, Greg Harris is well-qualified and a… Continue Reading
12.07.21
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Confirmation Of Gregory Harris To Be Central District Of Illinois U.S. Attorney
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 released the following statement regarding the confirmation of Gregory Harris to be U.S. Attorney in the Central District of Illinois: "Having served for nearly 30 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, more than a decade in private practice, and several years in the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender, Greg Harris is well-qualified and a… Continue Reading
12.06.21
Durbin: The Senate Must Be United In Condemning Threats Of Violence Against School Boards
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor about the escalating violence and threats of violence against teachers, school officials, and school board members across the country. In October, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys' Offices to reach out to state and local law enforcement to address threats of violence made against school board members, teachers and workers in our … Continue Reading
12.02.21
Durbin Statement On Successful Discharge Vote For Rachael Rollins, Nominated To Be U.S. Attorney For The District Of Massachusetts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate voted to discharge Rachael S. Rollins, nominated to be United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, from the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 50-47. In September, Rollins' nomination advanced out of Committee by a vote of 11-11. Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer had to file a discharge motion on Rollins'… Continue Reading
12.02.21
Durbin Highlights Dangerous Dysfunction At Bureau Of Prisons, Calls On Attorney General Garland To Dismiss Director Carvajal
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke on the Senate floor about the unacceptable dysfunction within the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the urgent need for new leadership. Durbin pointed to egregious examples of misconduct by BOP staff highlighted in a recent Associated Press report, such as prison workers convicted of crimes including sexual abuse, murder, and introducing contraband into prisons. "It's a recurring pattern o… Continue Reading
12.02.21
Following School Shooting In Michigan, Durbin Calls For Passage Of Universal Background Check Legislation
WASHINGTON - On the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in requesting unanimous consent to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, which would close gaping loopholes in the background check system and require FBI background checks for nearly all gun sales. Durbin's speech follows the school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan this… Continue Reading
12.02.21
Lead Senate Sponsors Laud Passage Of Judicial Security Bill Through Committee
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed out of committee the bipartisan Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act. The bill-named for Judge Esther Salas's son, who died protecting his family from a disgruntled litigant-would protect judges' sensitive personal information from being sold by commercial data brokers online, limit the posting of judges' personal information on government websites, and set up a process overseen by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts t… Continue Reading
11.29.21
Durbin Statement On Select Committee Recommending Criminal Contempt Charges Against Former DOJ Official Jeffery Clark
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement in light of news that the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will vote on a report recommending that the House of Representatives cite Jeffrey Clark for criminal contempt of Congress and refer him for prosecution: "The information uncovered in the recent Senate Judiciary Committee majority staff report, … Continue Reading
11.29.21
Durbin, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Improve Fairness In Criminal Justice System
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Criminal Judicial Administration Act (CJAA), a bipartisan bill that would improve fairness in the criminal justice system by facilitating court attendance by out-of-custody indigent federal defendants. The bill would authorize federal courts to direct the United States Marshals Service (USMS) to pay for round-trip travel and subsistence for the … Continue Reading