Durbin Questions Latest Nominees In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Jerry Edwards, Jr., nominated to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, about his legal experience at today's Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. "Mr. Edwards, you have been a litigator since 2006, working in both private practice and at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Shreveport. Before that, you clerked for two judges on the First Judicial District… Continue Reading

Durbin, Wicker Reintroduce Legislation To Promote Study Abroad

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) today reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act, which renames a competitive grant program run by the Department of State to the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program. The grant encourages institutions of higher education to sustainably expand study abroad opportunities to nontraditional locations for underserved American undergraduate students. It is named … Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Committee Hearing On Latest Nominations

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 Jerry Edwards, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana; Brandon S. Long, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Matthew James Maddox, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland; and Philip S. Hadji, to be … Continue Reading

Durbin, Whitehouse Announce July 20 Vote in Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, today announced that the Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up and vote on Whitehouse's Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act on Thursday, July 20. The bill would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a code of conduct, c… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement on End of Supreme Court Term & Upcoming Vote on Ethics Reform Legislation

BLOOMINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the end of the Supreme Court term and his commitment to advance ethics reform legislation in the upcoming work period: "'God save the United States and this Honorable Court!' These are the words spoken by the Marshal when she gavels the Supreme Court into session. But many questions remain at the end of the Court's latest term regarding its rep… Continue Reading

Durbin Calls For Abolition Of Special Management Unit, Continued Reforms To Prevent Abuse At USP Thomson

BLOOMINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding new reports by The Marshall Project and NPR, as well as Washington Lawyers' Committee, of abuse at USP Thomson: "Throughout my congressional career, I've sought to address injustices facing incarcerated people and their families. Last summer, I was deeply disturbed by reports of abuses at USP Thomson. I called for an investigation, which the Just… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Preserving National Historical Sites With Looking For Lincoln Leaders

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Sarah Watson, Executive Director of Looking for Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area (ALNHA), and Dr. Collin Hitt, the Board Chair of Looking forLincoln, to discuss the importance of preserving national historical sites in Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin received an update on Looking for Lincoln's efforts to promote the story of recently-established New Philadelphia National Historical Site, which … Continue Reading

Durbin Visits Simmons Cancer Institute To Discuss Nationwide Shortage Of Cancer Drugs

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today held a news conference at the Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU Medicine to discuss the shortage of life-saving drugs for cancer patients. Last month, Durbin urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use the Agency's authority to immediately address the ongoing shortage as it threatens the lives of patients nationwide. FDA has since agreed to import one of the drugs for which U.S. hospitals are seei… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement Marking One Year Since The Highland Park Shooting

HIGHLAND PARK - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement marking one year since the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois: "As we mark one year since the shooting in Highland Park, my sincerest condolences go to the families, friends, and loved ones of Katie Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin Michael McCarthy, Stephen Straus, Jacki Lovi Sundheim, Nicolás Toledo, and Eduardo Uvaldo-as well as those who were injured or subjected to the trauma of the… Continue Reading

Durbin, Graham Lead Bipartisan Judiciary Committee Letter To Mark Zuckerberg On Child Sexual Abuse Material On Instagram

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led a bipartisan group of ten Judiciary Committee members in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and CEO of Meta, regarding recent reporting that Instagram's algorithm promotes and facilitates sexual interest in and activity with children, including the production and sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material … Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Striking Down Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan In Overreaching Decision

CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's ruling in Biden v. Nebraska: "Today's ruling by the Supreme Court hurts the tens of millions of Americans who are plagued by student loan debt in pursuit of a quality education, particularly low-and middle-income borrowers and communities of color. Working families are buried in so much student debt that they can't afford to b… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On The Supreme Court Allowing Businesses To Discriminate Against LGBTQ+ Customers

CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's ruling in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis: "It's shameful that the Supreme Court just issued a ruling that mistakes freedom of expression as a reason to deny service to LGBTQ+ people - on the final day of Pride Month. It's nothing short of a license to discriminate, signed by the highest court in the land. "Yet again, the conservativ… Continue Reading

Durbin Announces $6.3 Million For Rockford Mass Transit Electric Vehicles

ROCKFORD - U.S. Senator Durbin (D-IL) today announced $6.3 million in federal funding to help convert the Rockford Mass Transit District's (RMTD) fleet to electric vehicles. This funding comes from $2.3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) Durbin secured in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Omnibus Appropriations Act for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and $4 million from Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low-No Emission Bus Grants Program, which Durbin pushed to sign… Continue Reading

Durbin Discusses Ukraine’s Future In The Eu & Nato With Chair Of The Verkhovna Rada

ROCKFORD - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today discussed Ukraine's future in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, ahead of the NATO Summit. Durbin will travel to Vilnius, Lithuania next week for the NATO Summit with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), where he will express his support for Ukraine's future in the EU and NAT… Continue Reading

Durbin, Padilla Ask Secretary Becerra For Answers Regarding Reports That Warnings Of Threats To The Safety And Well-Being Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Were Dismissed

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra requesting information related to reports that HHS received warnings that unaccompanied children were being released from HHS custody into situations that presented a risk of labor exploitation and tr… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Rejecting Affirmative Action In College Admissions

ROCKFORD - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina: "I'm disappointed in the Supreme Court's ruling effectively barring the use of race as a factor in college admissions. The Court's conservative majority just upended near… Continue Reading

Durbin Meets With March Fourth To Discuss Gun Violence Prevention Efforts

CHICAGO - Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with members of March Fourth, a gun violence prevention organization that was founded in the aftermath of the Highland Park shooting on July 4, 2022. "Next week marks one year since the horrific mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. That gunman scarred a community for a lifetime, shooting more than 80 rounds in 60 seconds, at what was supposed to be a joyful community… Continue Reading

Durbin Delivers Remarks On “Bidenomics” & Democratic Efforts To Grow The Middle Class

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered remarks before President Joe Biden's address touting "Bidenomics" in Chicago. Durbin spoke about the sustained economic growth we've seen under the Biden Administration and how it is growing America's middle class, as well as how legislation passed last Congress-including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the CHIPS and Science Act-is contributing to this growth. Key Durbin quotes: "Under President Joe Biden,… Continue Reading

Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Nomination Of April Perry To Serve As U.S. Attorney For The Northern District Of Illinois

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the White House announced its intent to nominate April Perry to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "We are pleased that President Biden is nominating April Perry to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. She was highly regarded by our screening committee a… Continue Reading

Durbin Statement On DOJ OIG Report On Death Of Jeffrey Epstein In BOP Custody

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) report on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) custody, care, and supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York: "I thank the Inspector General for conducting a thorough investigation that reiterates many concerns I have long raised an… Continue Reading