Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin Meets With ATF Director Nominee David Chipman
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met virtually with David Chipman, nominee to be the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). During their meeting, Durbin and Chipman discussed efforts to address the gun violence epidemic and protect public safety, including the President's proposal to stop the proliferation of ghost guns, combatting illicit firearm trafficking, and tracing crime guns. Th… Continue Reading
05.12.21
Durbin: Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' Sowed Distrust In Our Election; We Must Pass The For The People Act To Defend Our Democratic Process
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke in support of the For The People Act, a measure that will combat voter suppression and protect our democratic process. Durbin argued that Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' that the 2020 election was stolen from him presents an existential threat to our democracy, and that Congress needs to uphold its constitutional obligation to defend our democratic process by passing the For The People Act. Since th… Continue Reading
05.12.21
Durbin Statement On Latest Slate Of White House 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 White House announced its latest slate of judicial nominations: Chief Judge Gustavo Gelpí, United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; Eunice Lee, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Veronica Rossman, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; Judge Angel Kelly, United States District Court for the Dist… Continue Reading
05.11.21
Durbin Delivers Remarks In Hearing On Ghost Guns
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing entitled "Stop Gun Violence: Ghost Guns." Durbin expressed his support for taking action to rein in the proliferation of untraceable ghost guns, which are currently being sold without background checks and are increasingly being used in shootings and recovered at crime scenes. Last week, the Departme… Continue Reading
05.05.21
Durbin, Grassley Press DOJ To Strengthen First Step Act Rule On Earned Time Credits To Incentivize Rehabilitation
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 urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to direct the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to expeditiously revise the proposed rule published on November 25, 2020, regarding earned time credits authorized by the First Step Act of 2018 (FSA). In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Senators highlighted wh… Continue Reading
05.03.21
Durbin Asks FBI To Explain Failure To Detect January 6 Threat From Proud Boys Sources
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray requesting answers to recent reports suggesting the FBI failed to use its sources in the Proud Boys to develop intelligence about the January 6, 2021 insurrection. In March, Director Wray appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, during which he testified that the January 6 insurrection was an act of "dom… Continue Reading
04.28.21
Durbin Delivers Remarks In Hearing On Extreme Risk Order Laws To Reduce Gun Violence
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing entitled "Stop Gun Violence: Extreme Risk Order / 'Red Flag' Laws". Durbin highlighted the deadly toll gun violence has taken in Illinois and across the nation and discussed how extreme risk order or "red flag" laws can help prevent tragedies by temporarily removing firearms from individuals deemed da… Continue Reading
04.28.21
Durbin Highlights Judicial Nominees' Experience As Federal Public Defenders In Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden's nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, President Biden's nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, during today's nominations hearing. Durbin highlighted the nominees' experience as federal public defenders-background that is noticeably lacki… Continue Reading
04.28.21
Durbin Gives Opening Remarks In First Judiciary Committee Hearing For President Biden's Judicial Nominees
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the nominations hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit; Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit; Julien Xavier Neals, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Zahid N. Quraishi, to be United States District Judge for th… Continue Reading
04.27.21
Durbin: Why Is The U.S. Slow To Respond To The Power Of Social Media Algorithms?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Tristan Harris, Co-Founder and President of the Center for Humane Technology, during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law hearing entitled, "Algorithms and Amplification: How Social Media Platforms' Design Choices Shape Our Discourse and Our Minds." Durbin asked Harris why the United States has been slow to respond to the issue of highly targeted alg… Continue Reading
04.23.21
Durbin, Booker Call On AG Garland To Rescind Trump-Era OLC Opinion That Would For Individuals On Home Confinement To Return To Prison Following Pandemic
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 sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting that he rescind the Office of Legal Counsel's January 15, 2021, memorandum opinion entitled "Home Confinement of Federal Prisoners After the COVID-19 Emergency" (OLC opinion). In their letter, Durbin and Booke… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Durbin Votes For The COVID-19 Hates Crimes Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Senate passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). This legislation will improve the Justice Department's response to the appalling rise in hate incidents targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and provide state and local law enforcement with guidance… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Criminal Justice Subcommittee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the "Behavioral Health and Policing: Interactions and Solutions" Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism hearing. U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Subcommittee, made history as the first African American Chair of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. During his opening statement, Durbin highlighted the importance of addre… Continue Reading
04.21.21
Senate Confirms Vanita Gupta To Be Associate Attorney General
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the confirmation vote on the nomination of Vanita Gupta to be U.S. Associate Attorney General, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today urged his colleagues to support her nomination in a speech on the Senate floor. Durbin has continuously argued that Ms. Gupta is a dedicated, eminently qualified leader who can restore integrity and independence in the Justice Department. He also argued that Ms. Gupta is the right person… Continue Reading
04.21.21
Durbin: We Need Vanita Gupta At The Department Of Justice
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the vote on cloture and confirmation on the nomination of Vanita Gupta, President Joe Biden's nominee to be Associate Attorney General, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to support her nomination. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that Ms. Gupta is a dedicated, eminently qualified leader who can restore integrity and independence in the Justice Department. He also a… Continue Reading
04.21.21
Senate Confirms Lisa Monaco To Be Deputy Attorney General
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the vote on the nomination of Lisa Monaco to be U.S. Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke in support of her nomination on the Senate floor. Shortly after, Monaco was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 98-2. "Lisa Monaco may be the most qualified individual ever nominated to be Deputy Attorney General… Her credentials include a wealth of experience, her commitment to restoring i… Continue Reading
04.20.21
Durbin Statement On Derek Chauvin Being Found Guilty On All Charges In Death Of George Floyd
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the death of George Floyd: "The image of Derek Chauvin staring straight into the camera as George Floyd died under his knee haunts me to this day. The injustice of his killing is undeniable. And so is the fact that systemic racism continues to plague America. "The verdict of this jury gives me hope … Continue Reading
04.20.21
Durbin Questions Stacey Abrams And Georgia Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones On New Georgia Voting Law
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions during the Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote". Durbin asked Stacey Abrams, Founder of Fair Fight Action and former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, to explain why it's false to suggest Georgia's new voting law expands the right to vote for Georgians of color. "I think the bottom line question … Continue Reading
04.20.21
Durbin Requests Information On Trump Admin Political Appointees Who Sought Permanent Jobs At DOJ In Final Year
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting information on Trump Administration political appointees who have converted to civil service positions at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its components. In particular, Durbin requested information about political appointees for whom conversions to civil service positions at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) w… Continue Reading
04.20.21
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At "Jim Crow 2021" Hearing On Voting Rights In America
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the "Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote" hearing. Durbin highlighted America's long history of voter suppression laws that states have passed to disenfranchise Americans of color. He also slammed Georgia's new voting restrictions, which will make it harder for Georgians of color to vote, and criticized the provisions included in the… Continue Reading