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Search Senator Leahy’s press releases, floor statements, and Committee speeches by date or by subject.
Statement On Coburn Amendment To Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Mr. President, I worked very hard over the last two years with Senator Dodd and Congressman Lewis to pass the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act to provide resources for the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate and prosecute decades-old unsolved civil rights cold case crimes. It could have been law earlier than the end of last year had not Republican opposition obstructed its enactment. This should have been a noncontroversial bill and it sho… Continue Reading
03.04.09
Comment On The House Agreement For Testimony And Documents In U.S. Attorney Firings
"I hope today's agreement will help to finally uncover the truth about the firings of U.S. Attorneys and the Bush White House cover up designed to shield from public view the inappropriate and illegal actions of the last administration. "It should not have taken until now to obtain testimony and documents from Bush administration officials connected to the investigation into the firings. Today's agreement leaves in place the court ruling that rejected the Bush administration's unpreced… Continue Reading
03.04.09
Leahy Announces Witness List For Patent Reform Hearing
(Wednesday, March 4, 2009) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday announced the list of witnesses who will testify at a Committee hearing scheduled for March 10, on patent reform. On Tuesday, Leahy and Judiciary Committee member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced the Patent Reform Act of 2009 (S.515), legislation that would make the first significant reforms to the nation's patent system in more than 50 years. Information about the legislation, including a se… Continue Reading
03.04.09
Comment On Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Jury Award To Vermont Musician Diana Levine In Much-Watched Wyeth v. Levine Case
[The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Nov. 3, 2008, in Wyeth v. Diana Levine, a case in which a jury in Vermont awarded damages to Levine, a musician from Marshfield, Vermont, who sustained life-altering injuries due to a drug manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Wyeth. Wyeth sought to overturn the Vermont Supreme Court's decision, which affirmed a jury verdict in Levine's favor. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced a 6-3 decision which reaffirmed the ruling, uphold… Continue Reading
03.04.09
Statement At Hearing On
Sen. Leahy Chairs A Hearing On Truth Commission In the wake of the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, we came together as Americans. We need to do so, again, in these difficult economic times. Regrettably, too many seem mesmerized by the siren call of talk radio personalities and extreme special interest groups. Far from grasping the bipartisan hand that President Obama has extended, congressional Republicans are, with few exceptions, following the play book laid out by conserva… Continue Reading
03.03.09
Leahy, Hatch, Conyers, Smith Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Patent Reform Legislation
Leaders of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees introduced bipartisan, bicameral patent reform legislation Tuesday. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member and former Chairman of the Committee, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas), introduced the Patent Reform Act of 2009 on Tuesday. The Senate and House bills are similar to bipartisan legislation intro… Continue Reading
03.03.09
Vermont Police Units To Receive Nearly $5 Million Under Leahy-Led Law Enforcement Grants In Newly Enacted Economic Recovery Package
(Tuesday, March 3) - Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that Vermont will receive nearly $5 million in federal grant funding to combat crime through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The funding was secured through Leahy's efforts in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed into law Feb. 17. The JAG program allows states and local governments to support a range of programs to help prevent crime and improve the criminal just… Continue Reading
03.02.09
Comment On Release Of Nine OLC Memoranda And Opinions
"After just a month in office, Attorney General Holder has already shown a policy of greater transparency at the Department of Justice. The memoranda and opinions of the last administration regarding national security remain of great concern. Finally, today, some of these long secret opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel are being publicly released. These documents, and those released late last year in response to a Senate Judiciary Committee subpoena, begin to provide details of … Continue Reading
03.02.09
Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, On Release of Nine OLC Memoranda And Opinions
"After just a month in office, Attorney General Holder has already shown a policy of greater transparency at the Department of Justice. The memoranda and opinions of the last administration regarding national security remain of great concern. Finally, today, some of these long secret opinions from the Office of Legal Counsel are being publicly released. These documents, and those released late last year in response to a Senate Judiciary Committee subpoena, begin to provide details of some o… Continue Reading
02.27.09
The Leahy Letter - February 27, 2009
Leahy To Host American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Workshop Wondering how your business, municipality, organization, or non-profit could benefit from the recently enacted economic recovery bill? Interested in how the stimulus bill might help you buy a home or improve your family's bottom line this year? Senator Leahy, Governor James Douglas, the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and the Vermont Small Business Development Center invite you to attend a FREE work… Continue Reading
02.27.09
The Need For Justice
(as submitted to the Kathmandu Post) Three years ago, thousands of brave Nepalis took to the streets to protest the abuses of a corrupt monarch and the security forces under his control. Since then there have been some remarkable, positive changes in Nepal, and yet its future as a peaceful, democratic republic is far from secure. The Nepali people who risked their lives -- and some gave their lives -- did so, like the founding patriots of my country, with the conviction that they deserve… Continue Reading
02.27.09
Comment On Indictment Of Ali al-Marri
"In short order, Attorney General Holder has done what the last administration did not after years of detaining a legal resident of the United States without charge. The United States Government has finally brought charges against Ali al-Marri in a court of law. In the Padilla case, after years of overhyping the matter, the Government brought charges and he was convicted. I have said for many years that our legal system and federal courts have the ability to try terrorism-related cases … Continue Reading
02.27.09
Vermont Congressional Delegation Commends Obama Administration For Prompt Release Of First Funds To Vermont Under The Economic Recovery Act
(FRIDAY, Feb. 27, 2009) -- Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch Friday praised the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its swift action in releasing the first official funding to Vermont under the newly enacted economic recovery act. Four grants for community development and to improve the availability of affordable housing, totaling $14.4 million, are the first Vermont grants to flow to Vermont under the American Recovery a… Continue Reading
02.26.09
Leahy Announces Witnesses For Commission Hearing
(Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has announced three witnesses for a hearing scheduled Wednesday, March 4, on "Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry." Leahy has proposed establishing a nonpartisan commission to examine past national security policies. Leahy has invited three witnesses to testify at the hearing: Thomas Pickering, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Retired Vice Admiral Le… Continue Reading
02.26.09
Comment On President Obama’s Budget Outline For The Department Of Justice
"The Obama administration has already shown a commitment to reinvigorating law enforcement in our country. The President's support of funding in the recovery package for critical programs like the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is echoed in the budget overview released today. "I am also encouraged by the commitment to provide funding for the FBI to investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud and white collar crime. The federal government must devote the necessary resources in… Continue Reading
02.26.09
Leahy And Sanders Announce Merit Commission To Screen Candidates For Federal Judgeships In Vermont
(THURSDAY, Feb. 26, 2009) -- U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Thursday announced the formation of a Vermont Judicial Selection Commission to screen candidates for federal judicial vacancies in Vermont. The nine-member, nonpartisan panel consists of three commissioners named by Leahy, three by Sanders, and three by the Vermont Bar Association. U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will also have input during the selection process. The commission will receive… Continue Reading
02.26.09
Judiciary Committee Reports Deputy Attorney General Nominee
(Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009) - The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday reported the nomination of David W. Ogden to be the Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice. The vote on the nomination for the number two position at the Department was 14-5. Two additional nominations for high ranking positions were held over at the request of Committee Republicans. On February 5, Leahy chaired a hearing on Ogden's nomination. Ogden is currently a partner at WilmerHale law firm in Washin… Continue Reading
02.25.09
Statement On Human Rights In Kenya
Mr. President, during the past year, I and other Senators have urged the Government of Kenya to effectively address reports of egregious misconduct by its police and military forces, including torture and summary executions. The Mount Elgon killings, culminating in the slaughter of some 200 people by the police and army soldiers in 2008, were particularly appalling, yet the government has yet to conduct a credible, transparent, thorough investigation. We now have the report of the United … Continue Reading
02.25.09
Leahy And Douglas Set March 6th Conference To Ramp Up Vermont’s Readiness To Invest Stimulus Bill’s Resources In Strengthening State’s Economy
(WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25) - U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Vermont Gov. James Douglas (R) will host a free conference to help Vermont families, businesses and towns learn how the newly enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will help strengthen Vermont's economy. The conference and workshops will convene on Friday, March 6th, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Champlain College in Burlington. The Vermont Procurement and Technical Assistance Center and the Vermont Small Business Dev… Continue Reading
02.25.09
Senate Judiciary Committee Considers Nominees For OLC, National Security Division At Justice Department
(Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009) - Two nominees for key positions in the Department of Justice appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday afternoon. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) chaired a hearing to consider the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to be the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel, and the nomination of David Kris to be the Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division at the Department. The hearing is webcast live online, and witne… Continue Reading
