Anyone who cares about criminal justice reform and its impact on racial justice should want @DickDurbin to be the top Democrat on Senate Judiciary. Here's a couple reasons why...
https://politi.co/3fvJdkC  via @politico

First, he is not a former federal or state prosecutor! We have had enough of those, thank you very much. I expect DOJ will be led by one, and there are tons on the federal bench, so let's get some balance from Congress.

Second, none of the federal reforms, which have led to a 25%+ decrease in the federal prison population, would have happened without him. All Americans have benefited from this smart decarceration, but especially people of color. Here are some numbers:

Durbin pushed harder than anyone for the Fair Sentencing Act that President Obama signed. In 2014, the U.S. Sentencing Comm'n estimated that the Fair Sentencing Act reforms cut approximately 20,000 years total from the excessive sentences Black people were serving for
crack.

Durbin also pushed for broader mandatory minimum reform, a goal of Pres Elect Biden. He then was key to passing the First Step Act, under which more than 3,400 individuals have received an average sentence reduction of nearly six years.

Ninety-one percent of those receiving a reduction
were Black, meaning that the First Step Act has cut another 18,000 YEARS total from sentences
that Black people were serving for crack offenses.

I agree with those who say committee assignments should not be handed down solely by seniority. Do it by merit. Under either method, Durbin should be the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee next year.