Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin Statement On Senate Vote On For The People Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement today after the For The People Act, a bill that would strengthen voting rights, secure our elections, reform our broken campaign finance system, and combat corruption through improving ethics laws for federal government officials, failed to advance on the Senate floor: "Democracy is at its strongest when every eligible voter has access to the ballot. By filibuste… Continue Reading
06.22.21
Durbin Questions Witness At Hearing on Federal Crack And Powder Cocaine Sentencing
WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "Examining Federal Sentencing for Crack and Powder Cocaine," U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked Regina LaBelle, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, whether there is any scientific basis for the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Durbin's Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 dramatically reduced this crack-powder dispari… Continue Reading
06.22.21
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Hearing On Federal Crack And Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the "Examining Federal Sentencing for Crack and Powder Cocaine" Judiciary Committee hearing. During his opening statement, Durbin highlighted how the crack-powder cocaine disparity continues to disproportionately impact African-Americans, without any apparent public safety benefit. Durbin also discussed the bipartisan Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Ap… Continue Reading
06.21.21
Ahead Of Vote, Durbin Discusses Importance Of For The People Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took to the Senate floor today to discuss his support for the For The People Act, a bill that would protect Americans from deliberate voter suppression laws by establishing minimum uniform federal standards for voter registration and casting a ballot. Since the January 6th insurrection, many Republican state legislatures have pushed through a wave of voter suppression laws on the basis of false theories of widespread voter fraud-many of w… Continue Reading
06.17.21
Durbin Attempts To Pass Bipartisan & Bicameral Legislation To Sustain Crime Victims Fund
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today on the Senate floor requested unanimous consent to pass the bipartisan VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act, which would strengthen the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) by fixing how the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is funded. Specifically, the bill would redirect monetary penalties from federal deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements into the CVF to increase funding for state v… Continue Reading
06.16.21
Judiciary Committee Democrats Urge DOJ To Provide Committee OLC Memo On President Trump's Obstruction Of Mueller Investigation
WASHINGTON - Today, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats on a letter to Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland expressing serious concerns about the Trump-era Department of Justice's (DOJ) apparent misrepresentations to a federal court regarding the March 24, 2019 Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memorandum on President Trump's obstruction of Special Counsel Mueller's investigation. In their letter, Durbin and Senate Judiciary Committee Dem… Continue Reading
06.16.21
Durbin: Biden Is Reasserting America's Role As A Champion Of Democracy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), today spoke on the Senate floor about President Biden's first foreign trip where he met with G-7 and NATO countries, as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. Durbin said that America's leadership and its example are critical in leading shared efforts to halt the COVID pandemic, tackle climate change, push back on rogue nations, and maintain global norms of behavior. "Perhaps what was most important was that President Bide… Continue Reading
06.15.21
Durbin Slams McConnell's Dismissal Of Congressional Investigation Into Trump's DOJ Alleged Abuse of Power
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor slamming U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) dismissal of calls to hold a congressional investigation of reports that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump Administration issued subpoenas involving members of Congress, their staff, and family members. In his remarks, Durbin called out McConnell's hypocrisy in minimizing t… Continue Reading
06.15.21
Durbin Questions Witnesses At American Dream And Promise Act Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, "H.R.6, American Dream and Promise Act of 2021," U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Manuel Bernal Mejia, a DACA recipient, and Leon Rodriguez, former United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director under President Obama, about the importance of passing the American Dream and Promise Act. Durbin asked Dr. Bernal Mejia whether or not he's had … Continue Reading
06.14.21
Durbin: Judge Jackson Represents The Best Of The Judiciary
WASHINGTON - Ahead of her confirmation today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor in support of Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, highlighting her impressive career-from her judicial clerkships to her work as a federal public defender to her tenure on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Durbin called on his Senate colleagues to vote in favor of her nomination, empha… Continue Reading
06.14.21
Durbin, Grassley Statement On Supreme Court First Step Act Ruling On Low-Level Drug Offenders
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Tarahrick Terry v. United States, a case related to the interpretation of provisions of the First Step Act of 2018 (FSA) and the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010: "Obviously, we argued for a different result in this case. We had hoped a… Continue Reading
06.11.21
Durbin, Schumer Statement On Revelations About Secret Subpoenas For Metadata Of House Intelligence Committee Democrats
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement on revelations about secret subpoenas for metadata of House Intelligence Committee Democrats: "The revelation that the Trump Justice Department secretly subpoenaed metadata of House Intelligence Committee Members and staff and their families, including a minor, is shocking. This is a gross abuse of power and an assault on the separation of powers. This… Continue Reading
06.10.21
Durbin Statement On Report Regarding Federal Prison Inmate Deposit Accounts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a report that Federal prison inmates are keeping large sums of money in government-run deposit accounts run by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Per reporting by The Washington Post, there are more than 20 inmate accounts holding more than $100,000 each for a total exceeding $3 million. In all, the combined value of such inmate accounts recently topped… Continue Reading
06.10.21
Senate Confirms Zahid Quraishi To Be District Judge For District Of New Jersey
WASHINGTON - Today, the Senate confirmed Zahid Quraishi to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey by a bipartisan vote of 81-16. Ahead of the confirmation vote, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on his Senate colleagues to support Judge Quraishi's nomination. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin highlighted Judge Quraishi's distinguished career in public service and his service as a U.S. Magistrate Judge. J… Continue Reading
06.09.21
Durbin Talks Music, Copyright Law With ASCAP, Illinois Songwriters
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met virtually with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and several Illinois-based songwriters to discuss the state of the music industry, the implementation of the Music Modernization Act, and efforts to ensure that songwriters and musical artists receive fair compensation for their work. "It was a pleasure to meet today with songwriters and artists from Illinois-who shared their music with me-to he… Continue Reading
06.09.21
Durbin Questions Latest Circuit & District Court Nominees To Come Before Committee
WASHINGTON - During today's Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Eunice C. Lee, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; and Veronica S. Rossman, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit. Durbin highlighted their extensive and impressive professional backgrounds and asked them to reflect on the current state of justice in America today. Durbin also asked Ms.… Continue Reading
06.09.21
Durbin Gives Opening Remarks In Judiciary Committee Hearing For Circuit & District Judicial Nominees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the nominations hearing for Eunice C. Lee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Veronica S. Rossman, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit; David G. Estudillo, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington; Lauren J. King, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Was… Continue Reading
06.08.21
Durbin Statement On Bipartisan Confirmation Of Biden's First Judicial Nominees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate confirmed, on a bipartisan basis, the nominations of Julien Xavier Neals, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; and Regina M. Rodriguez, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado. These are the first judicial nominees confirmed by the Senate during the Biden Administration. Mr. Neals was co… Continue Reading
06.08.21
Durbin Calls On Colleagues To Support President Biden's First Judicial Nominees On The Floor Today
WASHINGTON - Ahead of their confirmation votes on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged his Senate colleagues to support the nominations of Julien Xavier Neals, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; and Regina M. Rodriguez, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado. These will be the first judicial nominees confirmed by the Senate during the Biden Administration. In… Continue Reading
05.28.21
Durbin Statement On Republican Filibuster Of Bipartisan January 6 Commission
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted against the motion to proceed to the bill to create the bipartisan January 6 Commission: "An insurrection without consequences-without even a proper investigation-is a dress rehearsal for another insurrection. When the Capitol police-who protect us with their lives-ask for this commission, we are ingrates to refuse. "There sh… Continue Reading