{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-announces-witnesses-for-hearing-on-state-of-civil-and-human-rights-in-the-united-states", "Durbin Announces Witnesses For Hearing On State of Civil & Human Rights In The United States", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Richard Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.08.14\n\t\t\t Durbin Announces Witnesses For Hearing On State of Civil & Human Rights In The United States \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Tuesday, December 9th at 2:30pm in the Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t [WASHINGTON, D.C.] U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights , today announced witnesses for his upcoming hearing entitled, The State of Civil and Human Rights in the United States. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 9th, and will examine the status of key civil and human rights issues, including police-community relations, criminal justice reform, and voting rights.\r\n\r\nPanel I\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Cory Booker\r\nUnited States Senator\r\nState of New Jersey\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Luis Gutirrez\r\nUnited States Representative\r\nState of Illinois, 4th District\r\n\r\nThe Honorable Keith Ellison\r\nUnited States Representative\r\nState of Minnesota, 5th District\r\n\r\nPanel II \r\n\r\nDr. Cedric Alexander\r\nPresident, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives\r\nPublic Safety Director, DeKalb County\r\nDeKalb County, GA\r\n\r\nWade Henderson\r\nPresident and CEO\r\nThe Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights\r\nWashington, DC\r\n\r\nLaura W. Murphy\r\nDirector, Washington Legislative Office\r\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union\r\nWashington, DC\r\nWHAT: Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights hearing on The State of Civil and Human Rights in the United States\r\n\r\nWHEN: Tuesday, December 9th, 2014 at 2:30pm\r\n\r\nWHERE: Hart Senate Office Building, Room 216\r\nWashington, DC 20510\r\nFollowing enactment of legislation like the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, bipartisan initiatives to protect civil and human rights have continued, including ongoing efforts to reform federal sentencing and restore federal voting rights for ex-offenders. Nonetheless, significant roadblocks remain. This year's events in Ferguson, Missouri have highlighted the continued need to reevaluate and reform police practices, including the militarization of state and local law enforcement. Racial disparities persist at many stages of the criminal justice system. Many states have enacted voting laws making it harder for minority and other voters to cast their ballots. This hearing will explore how Congress and the Executive Branch can build on recent successes and address ongoing civil and human rights challenges.\r\nDurbin is Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all constitutional issues, and all legislation and policy related to civil rights, civil liberties and human rights.The Ranking Member of the Subcommittee is Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t   \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t\n    \n   \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-announces-witnesses-for-hearing-on-state-of-civil-and-human-rights-in-the-united-states"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.260492881760001, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}