| Patrick J. Leahy Chairman, D-Vermont | |
| Edward M. Kennedy D-Massachusetts Biography | Arlen Specter Ranking Member, R-Pennsylvania Biography |
| Joseph R. Biden, Jr. D-Delaware Biography | Orrin G. Hatch R-Utah Biography |
| Herb Kohl D-Wisconsin Biography | Charles E. Grassley R-Iowa Biography |
| Dianne Feinstein D-California Biography | Jon Kyl R-Arizona Biography |
| Russell D. Feingold D-Wisconsin Biography | Jeff Sessions R-Alabama Biography |
| Charles E. Schumer D-New York Biography | Lindsey Graham R-South Carolina Biography |
| Richard J. Durbin D-Illinois Biography | John Cornyn R-Texas Biography |
| Benjamin L. Cardin D-Maryland Biography | Sam Brownback R-Kansas Biography |
| Sheldon Whitehouse D-Rhode Island Biography | Tom Coburn R-Oklahoma Biography |
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Committee Members
Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vermont
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Patrick J. Leahy (D) of Middlesex was elected to the United States Senate in 1974. Leahy is the current Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a position he has held since January 2007. He also served as Chairman from June 2001 through January 2003. A graduate of Saint Michael's College in Colchester (1961), he received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center (1964). He served for eight years as State's Attorney in Chittenden County, Vermont. He gained a national reputation for his law enforcement activities and was selected as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the United States (1974). Leahy has been a longtime advocate for government transparency, and he has authored and advocated a wide range of anti-crime and anti-drug initiatives. Leahy is also a senior member of the Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, and serves as the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
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Arlen Specter (R) was elected to the Senate in 1980 from the state of Pennsylvania. He is a former Chairman and the current ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University Law School and went on to practice law in Philadelphia, eventually becoming district attorney. He is the author of the Terrorist Prosecution Act, the Armed Career Criminal Act and the co-author the Second Chance Act. In 1964 he served on the Warren Commission, the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Specter has been a leader in the Senate on health and education issues. He is a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, the Special Committee on Aging, and the Appropriations Committee, where he is the Ranking Member on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee.
Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts
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Edward M. Kennedy (D) is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts and the second longest-serving current member of the Senate. He was first elected in 1962. Kennedy is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Virginia Law School. He is a former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1979-1981), and currently chairs the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security. Throughout his career, Kennedy has been an advocate for health care, education, civil rights, immigration reform, raising the minimum wage, defending the rights of workers and their families, assisting individuals with disabilities, protecting the environment, and safeguarding and strengthening Social Security and Medicare. Kennedy is currently Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and is a member of the Armed Services Committee.
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Orrin G. Hatch (R) was elected to the Senate in 1976 from the State of Utah. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University, and of the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He practiced law in Pittsburgh for several years before moving to Utah. Since his election to the Senate in 1976, Hatch has worked to provide tools for the military to combat terrorism, advocated for resources to protect our children, and championed intellectual property protections and enforcement. He is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, and is a member of the Senate's Finance Committee, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Select Committee on Intelligence and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., D-Delaware
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Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D) has represented the state of Delaware in the United States Senate since 1972. Biden is a graduate of the University of Delaware (1965) and the Syracuse University College of Law (1968). He is a former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1987-1995) and currently chairs the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. Biden is recognized as a leader in foreign policy, as well as on terrorism, drug policy, and crime, and has introduced numerous pieces of legislation to combat crimes against women and children. Biden also chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
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Charles Grassley (R) was elected to the Senate from Iowa in 1980. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa (B.A., 1955; M.A. 1956) and has been a longtime farmer in Iowa. Since coming to the Senate in 1980, Grassley was worked to bring oversight to government spending, and has championed whistleblowers in the government and in the private sector. He has also been an advocate for protecting consumers. He is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, and also serves on the Budget Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
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Herb Kohl (D) of Wisconsin was elected to the Senate in 1988. Kohl earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1956) and a master's degree in Business administration from Harvard University (1958). He is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Business Rights and Competition. Kohl has been recognized as a strong advocate for children's issues, and has focused on anti-crime legislation, especially crimes related to kids. He is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
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Jon Kyl (R) was elected to the Senate from Arizona in 1994. He previously served in the House of Representatives. Kyl is the second-ranking member of the Senate Republican leadership. Kyl is a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he received both his bachelor's and law degrees. His work in the Senate includes efforts related to immigration enforcement, protecting the environment, and legislative initiatives to protect crime victims' rights. Kyl is the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. He is also a member of the Finance Committee.
Dianne Feinstein, D-California
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Dianne Feinstein (D) has represented California in the Senate since 1992. She is a former two-time mayor of San Francisco. Feinstein chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. During her years in the Senate, Feinstein has worked to help strengthen national security, combat crime and violence, battle cancer, and protect natural resources across the country. Feinstein is a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Appropriations Committee, and chairs the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.
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Jeff Sessions (R) was elected to the Senate from Alabama in 1996. He is a graduate of the Huntingdon College (1969) and received his law degree from the University of Alabama (1973). Sessions served in the Army Reserve for 13 years, and was a United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for 12 years. In the Senate, Sessions has focused his energy on maintaining a strong military and working to improve and stimulate the nation's economy. Sessions is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts. He is also a member of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Budget Committee.
Russell D. Feingold, D-Wisconsin
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Russell D. Feingold (D) was first elected to the Senate from Wisconsin in 1992. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1975) and earned a degree of Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar (1977). He also received a degree from Harvard Law School (1979). Feingold chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. He is a longtime defender of privacy and personal freedoms, and was a lead author of campaign finance reform legislation. Feingold has worked to fight against discrimination in the workplace and in the criminal justice system. Feingold is also a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina
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Lindsey Graham (R) was elected to the Senate from South Carolina in 2002. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He served for six and one half years of service on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994. Since his election to Congress, Graham has worked to adequately fund and prepare the military, and has been active in education policy. Graham is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs. He is also a member of the Senate's Agriculture, Armed Service, Budget and Veterans Affairs Committees.
Charles E. Schumer, D-New York
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Charles E. Schumer (D) has represented New York in the Senate since 1998. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he first served in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate. Schumer chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts. He has a long legislative record in combating crime and advocating for women's rights. Schumer sits on the Senate's Finance Committee, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and the Rules Committee. He is also a member of the Democratic leadership in the Senate.
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John Cornyn (R) was elected to the Senate from the state of Texas in 2002. He is a graduate of Trinity University and St. Mary's School of Law, both in San Antonio. He also earned a Masters of Law from the University of Virginia Law School (1995). Since his election to the Senate, Cornyn has worked on issues related to border security, accessible health care, and improving educational opportunities. Cornyn is a member of the Senate Republican leadership. He is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security. He is also a member of the Armed Services Committee, Budget Committee, and Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
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Richard J. Durbin (D) was elected to the Senate from the State of Illinois in 1996. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (1966) and Georgetown University Law Center (1969). Prior to being elected to the Senate, Durbin served in the House of Representatives for 14 years. Among the issues Durbin has championed gun safety, improving health care, protecting consumers, fighting for farmers, and working for a fair tax code. Durbin chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights in the Law, and is also a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Rules and Administration Committee. In 2004, he was elected by Senate Democrats as the Assistant Majority Leader.
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Sam Brownback (R) of Kansas was elected to the Senate in 1996. He is a graduate of Kansas State University and the University of Kansas Law School. Brownback served a term in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate. Since coming to Congress in 1994, Brownback has worked on health care and tax reform. He has also been active in foreign policy, and has most recently spoken out against stopping genocide in Darfur, and in providing incentives for drug companies to help treat neglected diseases worldwide. Brownback is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution, and is a member of the Appropriations Committee and Joint Economic Committee.
Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Maryland
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Benjamin L. Cardin (D) was elected to the Senate from Maryland in 2006 after serving in the House of Representatives. In addition to his post on the Judiciary Committee, Cardin also serves on the Foreign Relations Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Small Business Committee. Cardin is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (1964) and of the University of Maryland School of Law (1967). He has maintained a longstanding interest in human rights, and since 1993 has served on the Helsinki Commission. Cardin has also worked tirelessly for increased health care, education and job training for the poor.
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Tom Coburn (R) was elected to the Senate in 2004 from the state of Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University (1970) and the University of Oklahoma Medical School (1983). Coburn was elected to the House of Representatives from Oklahoma in 1994, where he served until his election to the Senate, where he has advocated balancing the federal budget and improving health care access and affordability. Coburn is the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. He is also a member of the Senate Committees on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Indian Affairs and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island
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Sheldon Whitehouse (D) of Rhode Island was elected to the Senate in 2006. He is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He is a former United States Attorney for Rhode Island. Whitehouse has been an advocate for environmental protection, health and conservation throughout his career, and taken an active role in reforming the nation's healthcare system. In addition to serving on the Judiciary Committee, Whitehouse also holds seats on the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Budget Committee, the Special Committee on Aging and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Did You Know? The Judiciary Committee has published 37 reports in the 110th Congress. Committee reports accompany legislation that has been reported by the Committee, and are often filed with the legislation on the Senate Floor. Such reports explain the purpose of proposed legislation, and the process by which the legislation was debated in Committee.
11/19/2008 10:00 AM
Helping Families Save Their Homes: The Role of Bankruptcy Law
09/25/2008 10:00 AM
Executive Business Meeting
09/24/2008 02:30 PM
The Visa Waiver Program: Mitigating risks to ensure safety of all Americans
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