Durbin obstruction threat chills Senate as Trump nominees hang in balance
Sen. Dick Durbin said during the Senate’s first judicial nominee hearing of the year that he would continue to hold up at least one of Trump's DOJ nominees
By Ashley Oliver Fox News
Published June 4, 2025 5:06pm EDT
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., used his opening remarks during the Senate’s first judicial nominee hearing of the year on Wednesday to remind his colleagues that he was holding up at least one of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice nominees.
"I've got a hold on one nominee from Florida," Durbin said. "I've spoken to both Florida senators about it. It isn't personal. We've got to find a way out of this that is fair and bipartisan that we're going to stick with for both political parties."
Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is blocking the nomination of Jason Reding Quinones, Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida. Durbin also recently threatened to obstruct more of Trump’s picks to lead the DOJ’s 93 U.S. attorney’s offices.
Durbin's threat loomed over the committee hearing, which featured five of Trump's nominees to fill federal judge positions. The Illinois Democrat attributed his blockade to Vice President JD Vance announcing a hold on DOJ nominees in 2023. Vance, then a senator, said he would not lift his hold on nominees until then-Attorney General Merrick Garland stopped "going after his political opponents," a reference to the two federal prosecutions of Trump.
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