Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Judiciary Committee Releases Testimony Of Mayor Of Highland Park During Hearing On Civilian Access To Military-Style Assault Weapons
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering's prepared testimony during today's hearing entitled "After the Highland Park Attack: Protecting Our Communities from Mass Shootings." Rotering has been the mayor of Highland Park, Illinois, a suburban city of just over 30,000 residents, since 2011. She led efforts to pass a municipal ordinance to ban military-style assault weapons in Highland Park following the mass shooting in Sandy Hook Elementary School… Continue Reading
07.20.22
Senate Confirms Judge Childs To D.C. Court Of Appeals
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Juliana Michelle Childs to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit with a bipartisan vote of 64-34. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Childs's confirmation: "With over 15 years of experience on the bench, Judge Childs is exceptionally qualified to serve on the D.C. Circuit. Her outstanding qualifications make … Continue Reading
07.19.22
Durbin Questions Director Of DOJ Kleptocapture Task Force At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Seizing Illicit Russian Assests
WASHINGTON - During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "KleptoCapture: Aiding Ukraine through Forfeiture of Russian Oligarchs' Illicit Assets," U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked Andrew C. Adams, Director of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) KleptoCapture Taskforce, about the task force's progress and if there is cooperation with foreign governments to track and seize high value Russian assets. "We've made a lot of no… Continue Reading
07.19.22
Senate Confirms Nomination Of Nancy Maldonado To Be District Judge For The Northern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate today confirmed the nomination of Nancy L. Maldonado to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement on her confirmation: "We are pleased that the Senate has confirmed Ms. Maldonado's nomination to be a United … Continue Reading
07.19.22
Durbin Urges His Colleagues To Support The Nomination Of Nancy Maldonado To Be District Judge For The Northern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today urged his colleagues to support the nomination of Nancy L. Maldonado to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin argued that Ms. Maldonado's extensive experience and long record of service to the state of Illinois would make her an asset to the Northern District of Illinois. The Senate is scheduled to vote on her nominat… Continue Reading
07.18.22
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