The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary (informally Senate Judiciary Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate, the upper house of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Congressional confirmation (or lack thereof) of U.S. Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges and district court judges. In recent years, this role has made the committee increasingly a point of contention, with numerous party-line votes and standoffs over which judges should be approved.
The committee, along with the Finance and Foreign Relations committees, is among the oldest in the Senate, having been initially created in 1816.
Members
The Committee is chaired by Republican Senator Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania. The Democratic ranking member is Patrick Leahy from Vermont. The members of the Committee are:
Subcommittees
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Corrections and Victims' Rights
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, 1816-present
External link
See Also
