Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin, Grassley, Blumenthal, Lee Seek Information From MLB About Antitrust Impact On Minor League Baseball
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority 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; U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Subcommittee on The Constitution; and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, today sent a bipartisan request to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball for information regarding… Continue Reading
07.18.22
Durbin: Overturning Roe Has Unleashed A Health Care Crisis In This Country
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, detailed the unfolding health care crisis across the United States in the wake of the conservative Supreme Court's majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also continued to call on his colleagues to support enshrining into law a statutory right to an abortion. "In the weeks since the Alito-Thomas Supreme Court majority erased the … Continue Reading
07.14.22
Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of Critical Law Enforcement Positions
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Adair Ford Boroughs, to be United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina, and Enix Smith, III, to be United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Louisiana, by voice vote. The Senate has confirmed 69 Article III judges, and 49 U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals, during the 117th Congress. U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals play a critical role in enforcing the law, promoting public safety, and protecting … Continue Reading
07.13.22
Durbin Calls On Senate To Ban Assault Weapons From Civilian Use
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today told the story of 8-year-old Cooper Roberts, who attended the Independence Day Parade in Highland Park, Illinois, with his parents and twin brother, Luke. When a gunman used a military-style assault rifle to fire more than 80 rounds into the crowd, Cooper was shot and paralyzed. "This poor little boy's situation is a reflection on what assault rifles can do … Continue Reading
07.13.22
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Latest 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 Roopali H. Desai, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Doris L. Pryor, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit; Maria del R. Antongiorgi-Jordán, to be United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico; Gina R. Méndez-Miró, to be … Continue Reading
07.12.22
Durbin: The Supreme Court's Conservative Majority Is Undermining The Rule Of Law
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today reflected on one of the most consequential and disastrous Supreme Court terms in American history. Specifically, Durbin outlined how the Court's radical majority-in furtherance of an ideological agenda-issued rulings in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Durbin, Duckworth Meet With Highland Park Residents Following July 4th Mass Shooting
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Highland Park, Illinois, residents and members of March Fourth, a gun safety advocacy group, following the Highland Park mass shooting on July 4 that resulted in the deaths of seven people and injured dozens more. During the meeting, Highland Park residents shared their experiences from the shooting and the toll that attack has had on them and their families. Durbin and Duckworth wen… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Legal Consequences Of The Dobbs Decision
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." Durbin questioned Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, on maternal mortality and the consequences of overturning Roe. According to a study in the American Journal of Public Heal… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Senate Confirms Steve Dettelbach To Lead ATF
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Steve Dettelbach's nomination to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by a bipartisan vote of 48-46. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Dettelbach's confirmation: "When a mass shooter tears apart a community like Highland Park, Illinois, ATF agents are among the first to arrive on scene. In fact, in the hours… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Legal Consequences Of The Dobbs Decision
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." Key Quotes: "A little over two weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The majority overturned nearly five decades of precedent, holding that the U.S. Constitution does not protect… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Abortion Provider To Congress: The End Of Roe Is A Public Health Crisis
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released prepared testimony from Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, during today's hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." McNicholas has 15 years of experience as an abortion provider and a specialist in Family Planning including academic practice, resident education, clinical research, and health care advocacy. Her testimony w… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Lieutenant Governor Of Illinois Testifies On How The Dobbs Decision Is Already Harming Individual States
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton's prepared testimony during today's hearing entitled "A Post-Roe America: The Legal Consequences of the Dobbs Decision." Stratton is the first Black woman to serve as Illinois's Lieutenant Governor, a position she has held since 2019. Her testimony focuses on the steps that Illinois has taken to protect access to abortion, the challenges of out-of-state patients coming to Illinois to seek care, and… Continue Reading
07.12.22
Durbin Welcomes Overdue Announcement Of New BOP Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today welcomed the selection of Colette Peters as the next Director at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Durbin has called for a new, reform-minded Director to replace BOP Director Michael Carvajal since November 2021, following an Associated Press report that found that BOP is a "hotbed of abuse, graft and corruption, and has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct." Carvajal's… Continue Reading
07.11.22
Durbin: Military-Style Assault Weapons Belong On The Battlefield, Not In Our Communities
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 about the deadly toll that gun violence-particularly mass shootings caused by assault weapons-continues to take on our communities. "On June 8th-15 days after their 10-year-old daughter Lexi was murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas-Kimberly and Felix Rubio testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform," Durbin said. "Kimb… Continue Reading
06.28.22
Durbin, Grassley, Blumenthal, Lee Seek Information About Antitrust And Minor League Baseball
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority 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; U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Subcommittee on The Constitution; and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, today sent a bipartisan request for information regarding the impact of Major League Baseball's (MLB) a… Continue Reading
06.27.22
Durbin, Grassley Seek Additional Clarity From DHS IG On Alleged Suppression And Delay Of Widespread Sexual Harassment And Misconduct Findings
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, are once again pressing the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) to address reports that it has delayed and downplayed reports of sexual harassment and misconduct at DHS. In an April 26 letter to DHS Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari, the Senators cited documents released… Continue Reading
06.23.22
Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation to help keep America's children and communities safe from the gun violence epidemic: "This Senate just accomplished what hasn't been possible in decades-passing bipartisan legislation that makes our nation safer from gun violence. To be clear: this bill doesn't have everything I … Continue Reading
06.23.22
Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision To Strike Down Longstanding Gun Law As Nation Grapples With Record-High Gun Violence
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen: "Every day, parents across America are burying children they have lost to gun violence. And yet, as our nation still mourns the horrific massacres in Uvalde and Buffalo, and as we work to combat the daily toll of the gun violence epidemic in cities like Chicago, this de… Continue Reading
06.22.22
Durbin: Coming Together To Pass Common Sense Gun Legislation Will Make Our Nation Safer
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today highlighted his support for the legislation introduced yesterday by a bipartisan group of Senators that will help protect our children and communities from gun violence. "Let's be clear: this bill is a compromise," Durbin said. "In a 50-50 Senate, you expect nothing less… But the reforms and investments made in this bill represent an important step t… Continue Reading
06.22.22
Durbin Questions Judicial Nominees In Senate 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, questioned Rachel Bloomekatz, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit, and Florence Y. Pan, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit. Durbin centered his questions on Bloomekatz's and Pan's support from conservative organizations and leaders as a nominee chosen by the Biden … Continue Reading