Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin, Grassley, Cohen, Armstrong Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act, today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2021. This legislation would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury. U.S. Representat… Continue Reading
03.04.21
Durbin, Graham, Bipartisan Senators Lead Legislation to Strengthen the Victims of Crime Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today led a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of Members to introduce critical legislation to strengthen the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) by fixing how the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is funded. This legislation will redirec… Continue Reading
03.03.21
Durbin Calls on Senate Colleagues to Support Judge Garland's Nomination to be Attorney General
ASHINGTON - U.S. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Senate colleagues to support Judge Merrick Garland's nomination to be the next U.S. Attorney General. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Judge Garland by a bipartisan vote of 15-7. In his speech on the Senate floor, Durbin explained that there was an objection by Senate Republicans to expedite Judge Garland's nomination on the floor, meaning it could… Continue Reading
03.02.21
Durbin Questions FBI Director Wray on Domestic Terrorism
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions during the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. Durbin asked Wray why the FBI did not issue a threat assessment ahead of January 6th, despite intelligence that suggested a violent and planned attack might be possible. "I was surprised to learn the FBI did not issue a threat assessment before January 6th. … Continue Reading
03.02.21
Durbin Delivers Opening Remarks During Domestic Terrorism Oversight Hearing with FBI Director Wray
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the domestic terrorism oversight hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. Durbin argued that the January 6th attack on the Capitol demonstrated that the federal government has failed to address the growing threat of white supremacist violence and domestic terrorism. He called for aggressive oversight of the federal g… Continue Reading
03.01.21
On Bipartisan Basis, Senate Judiciary Committee Advances the Nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. Attorney General by a bipartisan vote of 15-7. Ahead of the vote, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued that Judge Garland is the right leader to restore integrity and the rule of law in the Justice Department and combat domestic terrorism and systemic racism following four tumultuous years under the previous administrat… Continue Reading
02.25.21
Ahead of Oversight Hearing Next Week, Durbin Speaks with FBI Director Wray About Domestic Terrorism Threat
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today spoke to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray on how the Bureau is allocating its resources to respond to and address the threat of violence by white supremacists and other far-right-wing extremists following the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. Today's call comes ahead of an FBI oversight hearing next Tuesday, March 2, in the Senate Judiciary Committee… Continue Reading
02.24.21
Durbin, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Inspector General Access Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced 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 jurisdictional carve-out. … Continue Reading
02.23.21
Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Justice Department's Decision to Retain U.S. Attorney John Lausch
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after it was reported that the Biden Justice Department will retain John Lausch as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois until his successor is confirmed. Durbin and Duckworth first voiced their desire to retain Mr. Lausch until his successor is confirmed in November 2020. On February 9, they wrote a letter to the President renewing this request. "We are pleas… Continue Reading
02.23.21
Durbin, Duckworth Statement on Justice Department Decision to Retain U.S. Attorney John Lausch
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after it was reported that the Biden Justice Department will retain John Lausch as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois until his successor is confirmed. Durbin and Duckworth first voiced their desire to retain Mr. Lausch until his successor is confirmed in November 2020. On February 9, they wrote a letter to the President renewing this request. "We are pleas… Continue Reading
02.23.21
Durbin Questions Outside Witnesses For Judge Garland's Nomination to be Attorney General
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked questions to the outside witness panel for the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to be U.S. Attorney General. Durbin posed a question to Andrea Tucker, who is a parent of students Judge Garland has tutored. "How have your kids taken to Judge Garland in a personal way?" Durbin asked. Tucker answered by stating her son and daughter seem to love Judge Garland, and that he has ask… Continue Reading
02.22.21
Durbin Questions AG Nominee Garland on First Step Act, State of Federal Prisons in America
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked his second round of questions during the nomination hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. Attorney General. Durbin posed several questions to Judge Garland on implementing the First Step Act, the spread of COVID-19 in federal prisons, and the use of solitary confinement. "I introduced a bill several years ago, the Fair Sentencing Act, which wa… Continue Reading
02.22.21
Durbin Questions AG Nominee Garland on Domestic Terrorism and Family Separation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today asked his first round of questions during the nomination hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. Attorney General. Durbin posed several questions to Judge Garland on domestic terrorism and the previous administration's cruel zero-tolerance family separation policy. "If you are confirmed as Attorney General, which I believe you will be, you will face wh… Continue Reading
02.22.21
Durbin to Garland: You Can Restore the Faith of the American People in the Rule of the Law
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered his opening statement during the nomination hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. Attorney General. Durbin argued that Judge Garland is the right leader to restore integrity and the rule of law in the Justice Department and combat domestic terrorism and systemic racism following four tumultuous years under the previous administration. Key q… Continue Reading
02.21.21
Durbin Releases Opening Remarks Ahead of Garland Hearing to be Attorney General
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released his opening statement ahead of the nomination hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. Attorney General. In it, Durbin argues that Judge Garland is the right leader to restore integrity and the rule of law in the Justice Department and combat domestic terrorism and systemic racism following four tumultuous years under the previous administration. Key… Continue Reading
02.19.21
In Amicus Brief, Durbin, Grassley, Booker, Lee Call On Supreme Court To Make Lowest-Level Drug Offenders Eligible For First Step Act Relief
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Lee (R-UT) today submitted an Amicus Brief to the U.S. Supreme Court 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. The Fair Sentencing Act, authored b… Continue Reading
02.11.21
Durbin, Lee, Coons to Introduce Bipartisan Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced they would introduce the bipartisan Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act of 2021, a targeted bill that would eliminate the blanket presumption of pretrial detention for most federal drug charges. Pretrial detention rates in the federal system are at record high levels … Continue Reading
02.10.21
Durbin, Grassley Announce Nomination Hearing Date for Judge Merrick Garland, Biden Nominee for U.S. Attorney General
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced that the Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's nominee to be U.S. Attorney General, on Monday, February 22 and Tuesday, February 23. The Committee will vote to advance Judge Garland's nomination on Monday, March 1 after all Committee members ag… Continue Reading
02.10.21
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Reform Elderly Home Detention and Compassionate Release Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON - Amid the COVID-19 public health pandemic, U.S. Senate Democratic 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, authors of the bipartisan First Step Act, landmark criminal justice reform legislation, introduced bipartisan legislation to reform the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program and compassionate release from federal prisons. Sadly, more than 200 federal prisoners with … Continue Reading
02.09.21
Durbin: We Must Put an End to Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' Once and for All
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the second impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about the important responsibility the Senate has to move forward with this impeachment trial. In his speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that no one, not even the President of the United States, has a First Amendment right to say whatever he or she wants-an argument the former President's lawyers are expected … Continue Reading