Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Following Hostage Situation At Texas Synagogue, Durbin Moves To Close Gun Loophole In Visa Waiver Program
WASHINGTON - Following the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today announced his intention to reintroduce legislation to close a loophole in federal law that permits foreign nationals who have entered the United States through the Visa Waiver Program to purchase firearms. Current law prohibits visa holders from other countries from purchasing guns, but excludes travelers … Continue Reading
January 18, 2022
Durbin To Senate Republicans: Join Us In Defending American Democracy
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his colleagues to support important voting rights legislation that will come before the Senate tomorrow. The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act combines the bipartisan John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act with the Freedom to Vote Act. "Today, our democracy needs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 restored to its full power and potential. In the … Continue Reading
January 13, 2022
Durbin, Grassley: New Justice Department Rule Will Implements First Step Act's Earned Time Credits Program And Incentive Rehabilitation
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, today released the following joint statement in light of news that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a new earned time credit rule that will encourage the dispersal of credits earned by inmates to reduce risks of recidivism, which is a crucial component of the landmark First Step Act: … Continue Reading
January 13, 2022
Judiciary Committee Advances Nominations Of One Circuit Court Judge, Four District Court Judges, And Four U.S. Attorneys
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today advanced the nominations of Leonard Philip Stark, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit; Bridget Meehan Brennan, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; Jacqueline Scott Corley, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California; Charles Esque Fleming, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio; and David Augustin Ruiz, to be United States … Continue Reading
January 12, 2022
Senate Confirms Gabriel Sanchez To Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Gabriel Sanchez's nomination to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by a vote of 52-47. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Sanchez's confirmation: "Judge Sanchez brings years of experience both as a civil litigator in private practice and as a policy expert working in state government to advance criminal justice reform. Since his … Continue Reading
January 12, 2022
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In First Nominations Hearing Of 2022
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 Andre B. Mathis, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit; Jessica G.L. Clarke, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; Hector Gonzalez, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; Fred W. Slaughter, to be United States … Continue Reading
January 11, 2022
Durbin Continues Calling For Closure Of Guantanamo Bay On 20th Anniversary Of The Arrival Of The First Detainees
WASHINGTON - On the 20th anniversary of the first detainees arriving at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke about the importance of closing this detention facility. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin called on the Biden Administration to do more to accelerate the closure of the facility once and for all. "For 20 years, Guantanamo Bay has defied our constitutional values and the rule of law. … Continue Reading
January 11, 2022
Durbin Questions Witnesses In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Matthew Olsen, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division; and Jill Sanborn, Executive Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Security Branch at today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "The Domestic Terrorism Threat One Year After January 6." Durbin discussed research by Robert Pape, a professor of … Continue Reading
January 11, 2022
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Judiciary Committee Hearing On Domestic Terrorism
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 entitled "The Domestic Terrorism Threat One Year After January 6." Today's hearing follows the Committee's domestic terrorism oversight hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray in March 2021, where Durbin emphasized his longstanding concern over the rise of violent white supremacists and other far-right extremists … Continue Reading
January 10, 2022
Durbin to McConnell: Stop Using The Filibuster To Obstruct Voting Rights
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called out Senate Republicans for their continued obstruction of voting rights legislation through the use of the filibuster. "The filibuster has been part of the profile of the Senate for a long, long time-for many decades. But what the Senate Republican Leader fails to note is that the use of the filibuster is out of control," Durbin said. "Nothing … Continue Reading
January 07, 2022
Durbin Calls On Senate Colleagues To Support Voting Rights Legislation
WASHINGTON - In the wake of the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his colleagues to support important voting rights legislation that will come before the Senate next week. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also discussed the continued threat to our democracy posed by Donald Trump's "Big Lie." "Congress and our nation marked the first anniversary … Continue Reading
January 06, 2022
Durbin Speaks On The Senate Floor One Year After January 6 Insurrection At The U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON - On the first anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the Senate floor regarding the anniversary of the insurrection and the continued threat to our democracy posed by Donald Trump's "Big Lie." During his speech, Durbin paid his respects to the law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on that day. "The videos don't lie. The facts are the … Continue Reading
January 05, 2022
Durbin Statement On Resignation Of Director Carvajal From Federal Bureau Of Prisons
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement in light of news that Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Michael Carvajal will resign: "For years, the Bureau of Prisons has been plagued by corruption, chronic understaffing, and mismanagement. In the nearly two years since Director Carvajal was handpicked by then-Attorney General Bill Barr, he has failed to address the mounting crises in our … Continue Reading
December 23, 2021
Senate Judiciary Committee Announces First Year Accomplishments Under Chair Durbin
WASHINGTON - On February 2, 2021, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) took a new title: Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the following 11 months, the Committee has addressed key challenges confronting the country-including voting rights, gun violence prevention, immigration, and criminal justice reform-and confirmed highly qualified nominees who are bringing balance and impartiality back to our justice system. Key moments from the Senate Judiciary Committee's first … Continue Reading
December 22, 2021
Durbin, Duckworth Announce $1.2 Million For Kane County Diversion Program
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $1.2 million in federal funding to the Kane County Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, will support a new program designed to provide access to health care and other supportive services outside of the criminal legal system. "The opioid epidemic continues to be a major challenge for communities of every demographic," Durbin said. "Access to services … Continue Reading
December 21, 2021
Durbin, Booker Applaud Justice Department Decision To Reconsider Trump-Era Opinion And Allow Thousands Of Individuals To Remain On Home Confinement
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism, today released the following joint statement after Attorney General Garland announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reconsidered a Trump-era Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion that would have required individuals on CARES Act home confinement to return to prison … Continue Reading
December 17, 2021
Durbin, Senate And House Dems: Will Johnson & Johnson Continue To Avoid Accountability To Cancer Victims?
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12); and Chair of the Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) today sent a letter to the incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Johnson & Johnson objecting to the company's efforts to … Continue Reading
December 15, 2021
Durbin Questions Judge Nathan, Nominated To Second Circuit, In 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, asked Alison J. Nathan, nominated to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, about her experience clerking for the late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and what she learned from him. "You spoke at his memorial service and made a statement about what he meant to you and what he represented in terms of the image … Continue Reading
December 15, 2021
Senate Confirms Jennifer Sung To Ninth Circuit Of Appeals
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Jennifer Sung's nomination to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Ms. Sung's confirmation: "Throughout her extraordinary tenure on the Oregon Employment Relations Board, Jennifer Sung has demonstrated a commitment to impartiality, a thoughtful approach to decision-making, and a keen ability to separate her … Continue Reading
December 15, 2021
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Latest Circuit & District Court 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 Alison J. Nathan, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit; Georgette Castner, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey; Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California; Julie Rebecca Rubin, to be United … Continue Reading