Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin, Grassley, Whitehouse, Cornyn Bill To Help Small Businesses And Families In Bankruptcy Signed Into Law
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, along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX), today released the following statements after President Biden signed into law their bipartisan legislation to help small businesses and individuals stay afloat during bankruptcy. "Too many mom-and-pop shops are getting caught up in a complicate… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Durbin Statement On Release Of Bipartisan Gun Safety Legislative Text
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the bipartisan group of Senators working on legislation to help keep America's children and communities safe from the gun violence epidemic released legislative text: "This bipartisan agreement will not end gun violence, but it is an important step towards making our nation safer. "I want to commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working… Continue Reading
06.16.22
Durbin Urges Colleagues To Support Nominee To Lead ATF
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today urged his colleagues to support the nomination of Steven Dettelbach to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Earlier today, Mr. Dettelbach's nomination advanced out of the Judiciary Committee by a vote of 11-11. Under the provisions of S. Res. 27, Leader Schumer must file a discharge motion on Mr. Dettelbach's nominat… Continue Reading
06.15.22
Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Impact Of Gun Violence On Children
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 on the impact of gun violence on children following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. This is the ninth hearing that the Judiciary Committee has held in the 117th Congress on aspects of the nation's gun violence epidemic. Durbin first questioned Phoenix… Continue Reading
06.15.22
Law Enforcement Leader: Gun Violence Is One Of The Most Significant Threats Facing Our Nation - And Our Children
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released Phoenix Police Department Chief Jeri Williams' prepared testimony during today's hearing entitled "Protecting America's Children From Gun Violence." Williams is the President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA). MCCA has adopted a Firearms Violence Policy that calls for legislative reforms including universal background checks, closing domestic violence loopholes in the background check system, supporting "red flag" laws, banning b… Continue Reading
06.15.22
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement At Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The Impact Of Gun Violence On Children
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 "Protecting America's Children From Gun Violence." This is the ninth hearing that the Judiciary Committee has held in the 117th Congress on aspects of the nation's gun violence epidemic. Key Quotes: "Today, the Committee will consider the terrible reality that guns have now become the leading cause of de… Continue Reading
06.15.22
President Of The American Academy Of Pediatrics Testifies On The Impact Of Gun Violence On Children
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released Dr. Moira Szilagyi's prepared testimony during today's hearing entitled "Protecting America's Children From Gun Violence." Dr. Szilagyi, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), will additionally discuss how the AAP invited their member pediatricians to submit stories about gun violence and its impact on their patients. AAP has received hundreds of stories from pediatricians, which are available here. Key quotes as prepared: … Continue Reading
06.15.22
Judiciary Committee Releases Testimony Of Young Man From Chicago Who Grew Up In The Middle Of The Gun Violence Epidemic
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee released Ernest Willingham's prepared testimony during today's hearing entitled "Protecting America's Children From Gun Violence." Ernest Willingham is a 19-year-old college student at Northeastern University who grew up on the West Side of Chicago. The youngest of 11 children in his family and the first in his family to attend high school or college, Ernest has multiple family members who have been shot, and four years ago his best friend was fatall… Continue Reading
06.14.22
Durbin: We Came Close To Losing Democracy In America On January 6
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 revelations the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol has shared in its first two public hearings. "After 11 months and more than a thousand interviews, the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol is sharing its findings with America and the revelations … Continue Reading
06.13.22
On Senate Floor, Durbin Praises New Bipartisan Gun Safety Framework
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today praised the bipartisan framework to help keep America's children and communities safe from our nation's epidemic of gun violence. The bipartisan proposal was crafted by a group of senators led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX), and comes after recent mass shootings including the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that cl… Continue Reading
06.13.22
Durbin, Duckworth Lead Colleagues In Calling On DOJ To Ensure Government Websites Comply With The ADA
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led a group of 10 Senators in urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide better guidance and regulations to help State and local governments better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA) accessibility requirements on their websites, mobile applications and other forms of technology. In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick G… Continue Reading
06.09.22
ICYMI: Ahead Of House Hearing On January 6 Insurrection, Judiciary Committee Details Critical Findings From October 2021 Reporter Obtained Through Senate Investigation
WASHINGTON - In case you missed it: Following an eight-month investigation, the Senate Judiciary Committee released testimony and a staff report in October 2021 entitled Subverting Justice: How the Former President and his Allies Pressured DOJ to Overturn the 2020 Election. The report and testimony reveal that we were only a half-step away from a full blown constitutional crisis as President Donald Trump and his loyalists threatened a wholesale takeover of the Department of Justice (DOJ). They… Continue Reading
06.09.22
Durbin Slams BOP Mismanagement, Allegations Of Abuse At USP Thomson
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 a disturbing new report published by NPR and the Marshall Project that details the deaths of seven incarcerated men and allegations of serious abuses by staff at the United States Penitentiary Thomson (USP Thomson). "It's no secret that the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been plagued by misconduct. One investigation after another has revealed a c… Continue Reading
06.09.22
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos Announce Inspector General Investigation Into Inmate Deaths, Allegations Of Abuses At USP Thomson
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead cosponsor of the First Step Act; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) is investigating allegations concerning a Bureau of Prison (BOP) facility in Thomson, Illinois. Today's announcement follows a letter the lawmakers sent to IG Michael Horowitz last week calling for … Continue Reading
06.09.22
Durbin: Keeping Our Democracy Require Vigilance And Truth
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the first public hearing held by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. This evening, the Committee will begin to lay out publicly, for the first time, the coordinated plan to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election and prevent the peaceful transition of power to a new Administration. During Durbin's speech, he highlighted the need to… Continue Reading
06.09.22
Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of Two Circuit Court Judges, Three District Court Judges And Three U.S. Attorneys
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of John Z. Lee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit; Salvador Mendoza, Jr., to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit; Stephen Henley Locher, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa; Nancy L. Maldonado, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; and Gregory Brian Williams, to be United States District Judge for the District of … Continue Reading
06.09.22
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of John Lee To The Seventh Circuit And Nancy Maldonado To The Northern District Of Illinois
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations John Z. Lee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit and 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) today released the following statement on their nominations: "We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced Jud… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin, Grassley, Whitehouse, Cornyn Bill To Help Small Businesses & Families In Bankruptcy Heads To President Biden's Desk
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, along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and John Cornyn (R-TX), applauded passage of their bipartisan legislation to help small businesses and individuals stay afloat during bankruptcy in the House of Representatives last night. The bill, which cleared the House on a vote of 392-21, was already passed unani… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin Meets With March For Our Lives To Discuss Common Sense Gun Legislation
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with representatives from March For Our Lives. During their meeting, Durbin discussed the ongoing negotiations in the Senate to address the scourge of gun violence that kills more than 100 Americans each day. Durbin expressed his own support for common sense gun violence prevention solutions like closing gaps in the gun background check system. "This week, we've heard the families of th… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Durbin Questions U.S. Sentencing Commission Nominees At Judiciary Committee Hearing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned nominees to the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission at the latest Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing. Congress created the bipartisan Sentencing Commission in 1984 and charged the Commission with the critical task of promoting transparency and consistency in federal criminal sentencing. "An amazing array of talent, strong resumes… thank you for being here to… Continue Reading