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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Comment On The Questionnaire For Solicitor General Elena Kagan To Be Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court
"Solicitor General Kagan has promptly returned the Committee's bipartisan questionnaire. She is completing her meetings with each Senator on the Judiciary Committee soon, although some Republican members have asked that their meetings take place next week. The White House has already requested that the Clinton Library expedite requests for materials about her work in the Clinton administration. These materials, along with the record we compiled last year in connection with her nomination to b… Continue Reading
05.18.10
The Way Forward On Anti-Personnel Landmines
Way Forward On Anti-Personnel Landmines Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, earlier today I, along with 67 other Senators, sent a letter to President Obama on an issue that has concerned the Congress since the late 1980s. Our letter, signed by more than two-thirds of the Senate, commends the President for conducting a comprehensive review of the U.S. Government's policy on antipersonnel mines. That review has been underway for some time, and I expect it will be completed later this summer. It has i… Continue Reading
05.17.10
Comment On The Supreme Court’s Decision In U.S. v. Comstock
[In a 7-2 decision released today by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. v. Comstock, the Court upheld a provision of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act which allowed for the civil commitment of a mentally ill federal prisoner who is also a convicted sex offender, beyond the date the convicted offender would have otherwise been released. In 2006, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), then the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, played a leading role in the Senate's efforts to ena… Continue Reading
05.17.10
Leahy, Sanders And Welch Urge Vermont Broadband Infrastructure Funding Under Next Federal Stimulus Bill Round
The members of Vermont's Congressional Delegation -- U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D) -- are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to invest in Vermont's broadband infrastructure. The lawmakers wrote to the agencies this week in support of the more than $219 million in broadband infrastructure applications submitted by Vermont companies and nonprofit organizations seeking Vermont's share … Continue Reading
05.14.10
Senate Unanimously Passes Leahy-Authored Bill To Improve Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act
The Senate Thursday night unanimously passed legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to improve the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA). Leahy was a lead author of LEOSA, which permits active and qualified retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms across state lines. The Act was originally signed into law in 2004. Leahy introduced the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act in May 2009. He steered the bipartisan legislation through the Se… Continue Reading
05.13.10
Judiciary Committee Advances Liu Nomination To Senate Floor
(Thursday, May 13, 2010) - The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday voted to advance the nomination of Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to the full Senate. The Committee also advanced Second Circuit nominee Ray Lohier, and District of Delaware nominee Leonard Stark, as well as four U.S. Marshal nominees and a U.S. Attorney nominee. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Committee, made the following remarks the executive business meeting.] Statement Of Senator Pa… Continue Reading
05.13.10
Leahy, Sessions Release Kagan Questionnaire
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) Thursday released the bipartisan questionnaire the Senate Judiciary Committee has asked Solicitor General Elena Kagan to complete in connection with her nomination to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Responses to the Committee questionnaire will be made available online once received. Print copies will be made available upon request. A PDF of the questionnair… Continue Reading
05.12.10
Remarks On Receiving The Hubert H. Humphrey Award Of The Leadership Conference On Civil Rights
[On Wednesday, May 12, 2010, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) was recognized at the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award Dinner, sponsored by the leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The event is the year's largest gathering of the civil and human rights community. Leahy was awarded the 2010 Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Award in recognition of his long record of advocacy for social and economic justice. Previous recipients of the award include the late Senator… Continue Reading
05.12.10
Leahy, Sessions Ask Attorney General For Information On Hoax Calls To Military Families
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) Wednesday sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, asking for information about the Justice Department's investigation into hoax phone calls to families of members of the military serving overseas. The hoax phone calls were reported as early as 1991, and have been placed in Vermont, Alabama, and elsewhere across the country. Federal officials have opened an investigation into hoax phone ca… Continue Reading
05.12.10
Comments Following A Meeting With Solicitor General Elena Kagan
Leahy Meets With U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan Solicitor General Kagan and I have just finished our meeting. I am impressed with her knowledge and legal background, as I was when the President nominated her to serve as Solicitor General of the United States, the country's top lawyer at the Supreme Court. Unlike the last time she was nominated to a judgeship, this time, I could assure her, and can assure you, that she will receive a hearing. I will do my best to make sure that i… Continue Reading
05.12.10
Leahy-Authored Extension Of Satellite TV Licenses Set To Become Law
Legislation authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to reauthorize satellite television licenses and to modernize satellite television services is headed to the President's desk for signature, following a vote this morning in the House of Representatives. Leahy has been working for months with leaders in the Senate and House to reauthorize several satellite television licenses which are set to expire on May 31. "This legislation modernizes and extends important statutory copyright licenses t… Continue Reading
05.12.10
Senate Passes Leahy-Authored Resolution Commemorating National Peace Officers Memorial Day
The Senate Tuesday night adopted a resolution authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to commemorate the service of law enforcement officers across the country and honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty in the last year. This week, law enforcement officers from across the country will come to Washington, D.C. to celebrate Police Week. The Leahy-authored resolution recognizes May 15, 2010, as National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Leahy has introduced resolutions commemorating N… Continue Reading
05.11.10
Senate Confirms Two District Court Judges
The Senate Tuesday afternoon confirmed two nominations to fill vacancies on federal district court. The Senate confirmed Timothy Black to a seat in the Southern District of Ohio, and Jon E. DeGuilio to a seat in the Northern District of Indiana. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has been pressing for floor time to consider the more than 20 judicial nominations pending before the full Senate. Sixteen of the 22 judicial nominations still pending on the Senate's executiv… Continue Reading
05.11.10
Leahy Proposes Open Government Amendment To Wall Street Reform Bill
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) yesterday filed an amendment to the pending Wall Street reform legislation to protect the identity of whistleblowers while ensuring transparency for the public in financial fraud cases. The amendment removes language from the bill that, in some cases, would indefinitely shield critical information about financial fraud from the public. The Leahy-authored provision eliminates the overbroad confidentiality provision in the current legisla… Continue Reading
05.11.10
Comment On Release Of The Administration’s 2010 National Drug Control Strategy
"I have long believed that to break the cycle of drug abuse and crime, we must adopt a collaborative approach that emphasizes community-based prevention, treatment, and effective law enforcement. President Obama's first National Drug Control Strategy, released today, champions that approach and establishes five-year goals for reducing drug abuse and its consequences through a balanced policy of prevention, treatment and enforcement. "Vermonters have been working together on commonsense answers… Continue Reading
05.11.10
Leahy Chairs Hearing On Oversight Of U.S. Citizenship And Immigration Services
(Tuesday, May 11, 2010) - The Senate Judiciary Committee today is holding a hearing on oversight of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that serves as the principal administrator of the nation's immigration policy. The Committee, which is chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), has jurisdiction over immigration, citizenship and related issues. Alejandro Mayorkas, the Director of USCIS, testified at the hearing. Member statements and testimony, as well as a live webcast, ar… Continue Reading
05.10.10
Comment On The President’s Nomination Of Elena Kagan To Be An Associate Justice of The United States Supreme Court
I congratulate Elena Kagan on her nomination to the Supreme Court. The President chose from an impressive list of superbly qualified candidates. He consulted with Senators on both sides of the aisle, and with others. As a scholar of the Constitution himself, he brought a wealth of knowledge and insight to his selection process. He wanted to select an outstanding future Justice who is well within the mainstream of legal and constitutional thought, and her recent Senate confirmation to be Soli… Continue Reading
05.07.10
On Choosing A Supreme Court Nominee
President Obama is about to make one of the most important decisions any president can make: choosing a Supreme Court nominee. Next it will be the Judiciary Committee's turn to evaluate the nominee's qualifications and to hold public hearings, and then it's the Senate's turn. Casting a vote to fill a Court vacancy is one of the weightiest decisions any senator will face. The retiring Justice, John Paul Stevens, in many ways is the model of what a Justice should be - a superb and influential j… Continue Reading
05.06.10
Leahy Presses For Immediate Action To Restore Protections For Older Workers
(Thursday, May 6, 2010) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday urged the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to quickly consider legislation to restore vital civil rights protections for older workers in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2009 decision in Gross v. FBL Financial. Leahy and HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act in October. Leahy urged prompt consideration… Continue Reading
05.05.10
Senate Unanimously Approves Leahy-Cornyn Faster FOIA Act
The Senate Wednesday evening unanimously passed legislation authored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) to make further improvements to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the nation's premier open government law. Leahy and Cornyn are both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which advanced the legislation to the full Senate in April. Recent years have seen increased agency backlogs in processing FOIA requests. The Faster FOIA Act will establish an ad… Continue Reading
