News from April 2023
Casper, Wyoming Woman Charged With Arson in Wellspring Health Access Arson
By DOJ Newswire | Apr 3, 2023
News Release: Cheyenne, WY - LORNA ROXANNE GREEN, 22, of Casper, Wyoming, has been arrested and charged by complaint with arson of a facility engaged in interstate commerce. The defendant will make her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Kelly H. Rankin on March 23, 2023 at 9 a.m. in Cheyenne.
Ranking Member Cassidy Delivers Remarks During Starbucks Hearing
By DOL Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered remarks during today’s hearing on labor relations at Starbucks. Specifically, he expressed concern about the prejudicial nature of the hearing as the accusations against Starbucks are still being litigated.
Jordan, Comer, Steil Demand Communications, Documents, and Testimony from Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), and House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) sent a letter to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg demanding communications, documents, and testimony relating to Bragg's unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority and the potential indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Weaponization Subcommittee Report: Documents Show No Legitimate Law-Enforcement Basis for Garland’s Anti-Parent Memo
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and the House Judiciary Committee released an interim staff report titled, “A ‘Manufactured’ Issue And ‘Misapplied’ Priorities
Jordan, Comer, Green Seek Information Into Unprecedented CBP Disciplinary Practices
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY), and House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Troy Miller seeking information related to the unprecedented process to discipline agents from the Del Rio Horse Patrol Unit.
Durbin Questions Witnesses at Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Restoring Competition to our Digital Markets
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned witnesses during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Protection hearing titled, “Reining in Dominant Digital Platforms: Restoring Competition to Our Digital Markets.”
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Social Media Platform Accountability & Opportunities for Reform
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law hearing entitled, “Platform Accountability: Gonzalez and Reform.
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Five Nominees for Consideration by Full Senate
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced five nominations for consideration by the full Senate.
Durbin Statement on Bill to Revise and Strengthen the D.C. Criminal Code
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead sponsor of the landmark First Step Act, today released the following statement after voting against H.J.Res.26, a joint resolution disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA) of 2022:
Durbin Urges the Senate to Swiftly Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
During Women’s History Month, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor emphasizing the need to codify access to abortion and comprehensive reproductive health care rights for millions of Americans after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade last year. In his remarks today, Durbin expressed his support for the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which he and his Democratic colleagues reintroduced this week.
Senate Confirms Maria Kahn to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate confirmed Maria Kahn to the United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Justice Kahn’s confirmation:
Durbin Calls on Congress to Protect Children from Exploitation & Fix Broken Immigration System
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
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 recent New York Times article that raised serious concerns about the vetting of sponsors of unaccompanied non-citizen children and found large numbers of such children are being placed with exploitative sponsors and working long hours in dangerous conditions.
Durbin, Booker, Whitehouse, Coons Raise Concerns about Proposed Changes to BOP Inmate Trust Accounts
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Chris Coons (D-DE), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a comment letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and BOP’s proposed rule on the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program.
Durbin, Padilla, Nadler, Jayapal Encourage USCIS to Maintain and Expand Access to Legal Immigration System in Proposed Fee Changes
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and U.S. Representatives Jerry Nadler (D-NY-12) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Members of the House Committee on the Judiciary and Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, submitted a public comment to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposal to set new fees for requests for immigration benefits. In their letter, the lawmakers expressed their support for USCIS efforts to maintain equitable access to the legal immigration system and made recommendations to improve such access, including by lowering the proposed fee for the provisional unlawful presence waiver and incorporating backlog reduction into USCIS financial planning.
Durbin, Booker, Hirono Express Support for Proposed Amendments to Federal Sentencing Guidelines to Implement First Step Act Reforms, Among Other Priorities
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice & Counterterrorism, and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) submitted a public comment letter to U.S. Sentencing Commission Chair Carlton Reeves regarding proposed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This is the first amendment cycle of the newly-reconstituted Commission.
Durbin Delivers Opening Statement in Judiciary Committee Hearing on Public Safety & Gun Safety Laws in a Post-Bruen America
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
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, “Protecting Public Safety After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.”
Durbin Questions Witnesses in Judiciary Committee Hearing on Public Safety & Gun Safety Laws in a Post-Bruen America
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned three witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Protecting Public Safety After New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.”
Durbin Probes DOJ, FDACoordination, Urges Enhanced Enforcement of Unlawfully Marketed Vaping Products
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf urging them to enhance interagency coordination to address unlawfully marketed vaping products, and requesting more information about their enforcement efforts.
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Televise Supreme Court Proceedings in Real Time
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a group of their colleagues in re-introducing the bipartisan Cameras in the Courtroom Act today.
In Speech on Senate Floor, Durbin Honors the Work of Public Defenders Ahead of 60th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright
By DOJ Newswire Report | Apr 4, 2023
In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, honored public defenders ahead of the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Court held that the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee a right of legal counsel to anyone accused of a crime.