© 2024 Peoria Public Radio
A joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Senators Set Up Committee to Vet US Attorney Candidates

Illinois' two Democratic U.S. senators are taking steps to ensure they have a voice in choosing the state's new U.S. attorneys. 

President Donald Trump's administration told U.S. attorneys nationwide in March to resign, including then-head Chicago U.S Attorney Zachary Fardon. Joel Levin is now Chicago's acting U.S. attorney. 

Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have formed committees to provide input in picking candidates for each of three U.S. judicial districts in Illinois.

The tradition is for a state's top-ranking member of Congress from the president's party to lead the process and for the opposition party to have meaningful input. Democrats are concerned Republicans under Trump won't adhere as closely to that bipartisan approach.

Trump would nominate candidates and the Senate must confirm them. 

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.