February 22, 2021

Duckworth Introduces Illinois Native Merrick Garland at His Senate Confirmation Hearing

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this morning introduced Illinois native Merrick Garland at his U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary confirmation hearing to be the next Attorney General of the United States. In her introduction, Duckworth highlighted Garland’s ties to Illinois and expressed why she has full confidence in Garland’s capability to lead the Department of Justice and defend the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans. Video of the Senator’s speech is available here.

Key quotes:

  • “I am especially honored to be here today because I have full confidence in his capability to lead the Department of Justice in an independent and impartial manner, and he will defend the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans—no matter what they look like, who they love, how they pray or their disability status.”
  • “Judge Garland hails from my home state of Illinois. His father ran a small business out of his home and his mother directed volunteer services at the Council for Jewish Elderly in Chicago. After graduating as valedictorian at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois, he won scholarships to attend both college and law school. He graduated from Harvard University in 1974 and Harvard Law School in 1977.”
  • “It is this legacy of public service that gives me confidence that if confirmed to be our Nation’s chief law enforcement officer, Judge Garland will not only modernize and strengthen enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but will restore integrity and lift morale throughout DOJ.”

 

Duckworth’s full remarks as delivered are below:

Thank you so much Mr. Chairman for the opportunity to introduce President Biden’s nominee to serve as the next Attorney General of the United States. We in Illinois also claim Merrick Garland as a son of our state. He possesses the brilliance and the resilience… the experience and intellect… the expertise and integrity necessary to serve effectively as our next Attorney General.

I am especially honored to be here today because I have full confidence in his capability to lead the Department of Justice in an independent and impartial manner, and he will defend the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans—no matter what they look like, who they love, how they pray or their disability status.

Judge Garland hails from my home state of Illinois. His father ran a small business out of his home and his mother directed volunteer services at the Council for Jewish Elderly in Chicago.

After graduating as valedictorian at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois, he won scholarships to attend both college and law school. He graduated from Harvard University in 1974 and Harvard Law School in 1977.

His breadth of experience stems in part from his time in private practice and judicial clerkships. He clerked for Judge Henry Friendly on the Second Circuit and Justice William Brennan on the United States Supreme Court.

However, his commitment to public service is perhaps even more clearly demonstrated by his successful tenure at the Department of Justice and his current seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

In 1979, Judge Garland joined the DOJ as a Special Assistant, and then after a brief stint in private legal practice, left the Department as a Principal Deputy Attorney General in 1997.

During his tenure, which spanned both Republican and Democratic administrations, he led multiple high-profile investigations, working on a number of issues including criminal, civil, antitrust, appellate, espionage and national security measures.

He gained valuable experience as a prosecutor by trying and supervising numerous prosecutions and appeals. Notably, he played a key role in the prosecution of the Oklahoma City Bombers as has been previously noted.

Following his career at the DOJ, the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination for a lifetime appointment to serve on the D.C. Circuit. Judge Garland authored hundreds of opinions that addressed disability rights, criminal justice and voting rights, among other issues—issues that affect Americans in every mile and in every corner of this country.

As a judge, he joined a unanimous panel decision that upheld a Department of Labor regulation requiring contractors to comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This decision upheld regulations that sought to protect employment opportunities for individuals living with a disability, like myself.

It is this legacy of public service that gives me confidence that if confirmed to be our Nation’s chief law enforcement officer, Judge Garland will not only modernize and strengthen enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but will restore integrity and lift morale throughout DOJ.

Judge Garland is ready to defend the constitutional and civil rights that our Nation so deeply values, and I know he will make us Illinoisans proud as our country’s next Attorney General.

Thank you.

 

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