Patrick Leahy
Patrick Joseph Leahy (/ˈleɪhi/; born March 31, 1940) is a American retired politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Vermont from 1975 to 2023, and also served as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate from 2012 to 2015 and from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee at various points during his 48-year tenure. Leahy is the third-longest-serving U.S. senator in history.
Patrick Leahy | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, c. 2021 | |
| United States Senator from Vermont | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | George Aiken |
| Succeeded by | Peter Welch |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Chuck Grassley |
| Succeeded by | Patty Murray |
| In office December 17, 2012 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Inouye |
| Succeeded by | Orrin Hatch |
| President pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ted Stevens (2009) |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Grassley |
| Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee | |
| In office February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Shelby |
| Succeeded by | Patty Murray |
| Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Arlen Specter |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Grassley |
| In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Orrin Hatch |
| Succeeded by | Orrin Hatch |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Orrin Hatch |
| Succeeded by | Orrin Hatch |
| Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Jesse Helms |
| Succeeded by | Richard Lugar |
| State's Attorney of Chittenden County, Vermont | |
| In office May 10, 1966 – January 2, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | John Fitzpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Francis Murray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patrick Joseph Leahy March 31, 1940 Montpelier, Vermont, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marcelle Pomerleau (m. 1962) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Saint Michael's College (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
| Signature | |
Upon Representative Don Young's death in March 2022, he became the most senior member of Congress. Leahy was also the last of the Senate's "Watergate Babies"—Democrats first elected to Congress in the wave election of 1974 that followed President Richard Nixon's resignation over the Watergate scandal.[1]
At the time of his retirement, Leahy was the dean of his state's congressional delegation. He was also Vermont's longest-serving U.S. senator, as well as the first Democrat ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Vermont. He served as ranking member of the Appropriations Committee from 2017 to 2021 and became chairman in 2021. In 2001, Leahy and then–Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle were targeted by the anthrax attacks that killed five people. He was the presiding officer at Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, becoming the first senator to preside over a former president's impeachment trial.[2][3]
On November 15, 2021, Leahy announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022.[4] He was succeeded by Peter Welch, who became the second Democrat to represent Vermont in the Senate.
Early life and education
Leahy was born in Montpelier, Vermont, the son of Alba (née Zambon) and Howard Francis Leahy.[5] He has been legally blind in his left eye since birth.[6][7] Leahy's maternal grandparents were Italian, and his father was of Irish ancestry; some of his ancestors came to Vermont in the 19th century to work at the granite quarries and manufacturing plants in Barre Town and Barre City.[8] The Leahys ran a printing business across from the Vermont State House, and were also the publishers of the Waterbury Record newspaper.[5] Leahy attended the parochial schools of Montpelier, and graduated from Montpelier's St. Michael's High School in 1957.[9]
In 1961, Leahy graduated from Saint Michael's College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government.[10] While attending college, Leahy was a member of the National Federation of Catholic College Students.[11] He was also involved with the Knights of Columbus, the Saint Michael's College Glee Club, and the school's pre-law society and politics club.[11] He was active with the Reserve Officers' Training Corps rifle team, and was a member of the varsity rifle team.[11] He was also on the staff of The Shield, the Saint Michael's College yearbook and WSSE, the school's AM radio station.[11] In 1964, Leahy received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.[10][a] While in law school, Leahy was active in the Phi Delta Phi legal honor society.[14] In addition, Leahy participated in Georgetown Law's Legal Aid Society and Legal Argument Program.[14] He was also a representative to the school's Student Bar Association.[14]
Early career
Leahy was admitted to the bar soon after his law school graduation and became an associate at the Burlington firm headed by Philip H. Hoff, then serving as governor of Vermont.[15] In January 1965, Leahy was appointed as an assistant to Lewis E. Springer Jr., the legislative draftsman for the Vermont General Assembly.[16] While working for Hoff's firm, Leahy was also appointed as Burlington's assistant city attorney.[17]
In May 1966, Hoff appointed Leahy State's Attorney of Chittenden County after the incumbent resigned.[18] Leahy was elected to a full term in 1966[19] and reelected in 1970.[20] His service as state's attorney was notable for his participation in the sting operation that caught Paul Lawrence, an undercover police officer for numerous departments in Vermont.[21][22] Lawrence falsely claimed to have purchased illegal drugs from several people, resulting in numerous convictions based on his perjury.[21][23]
U.S. Senate
Early career (1975–1987)
Leahy originally aspired to the governorship,[24] but in 1974 ran for the United States Senate.[25] He ran in the wake of the Watergate scandal that had resulted in President Richard Nixon's resignation in August of that year, won a close race against Republican Congressman Richard W. Mallary, and succeeded the retiring George Aiken.[25][26] At age 34, Leahy was the youngest U.S. senator in Vermont history[27] and the first non-Republican senator from Vermont since 1856.[28][b] In 1980, Leahy defeated Republican Stewart Ledbetter by only 2,700 votes amid Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in the presidential election.[29] In 1986, he faced what was on paper an even stronger challenger in former Governor Richard Snelling, but Leahy turned it back, taking 63 percent of the vote.[30] In 1992, Secretary of State of Vermont Jim Douglas held him to 54 percent of the vote.[31] After that, Leahy did not face a strong Republican challenger.[32]
In May 1981, Leahy and Senator Ted Kennedy requested that the Senate reject John Crowell Jr.'s nomination as Assistant Agriculture Secretary. Leahy said his opposition was "because documents have been uncovered since his approval by the Agriculture Committee which suggest that he was aware of and involved in the anti-competitive and monopolistic practices of his former employer."[33] Leahy and Kennedy contended that Crowell concealed his involvement with Louisiana-Pacific, Panhandle Logging Company, and Ketchikan Spruce Mills during the confirmation process.[34] Crowell was confirmed by the Senate.[35]
In October 1981, Leahy introduced an amendment that would have increased the Energy Department's enforcement budget by $13 million. He called the Reagan administration's cuts to the enforcement budget "de facto amnesty" for violations made by alleged increases in prices for oil companies. The amendment was defeated in the Senate on October 28 by a vote of 48 to 43.[36] On December 2, 1981, Leahy voted for an amendment to Reagan's MX missiles proposal that would divert the silo system by $334 million, as well as earmark further research for other methods that would allow giant missiles to be based.[37] The vote was seen as a rebuff of the Reagan administration.[38][39] In March 1982, Leahy was named to the Senate Select Committee to Study Law Enforcement Undercover Activities of the Department of Justice, an eight-member select committee formed to investigate undercover operations.[40] The resolution introducing the committee was the result of Harrison A. Williams's resignation for his involvement in the Abscam sting operation.[41][42] On December 23, 1982, Leahy voted for a five-cent per gallon increase on gasoline taxes across the U.S. to finance highway repairs and mass transit.[43] The bill passed on the last day of the 97th United States Congress.[44][45] On October 19, 1983, Leahy voted for a bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day.[46] Reagan signed the legislation the next month.[47] In March 1984, Leahy voted against a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing periods in public school for silent prayer,[48] and against Reagan's unsuccessful proposal for a constitutional amendment permitting organized school prayer in public schools.[49][50]
Senate Agriculture Committee and other activities (1987–1999)
Leahy was appointed chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee on January 3, 1987.[51][52] During his tenure as vice-chair of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 1987, Leahy showed a news reporter an unclassified draft report on the Iran–Contra affair.[53] At a press conference afterward, Leahy said, "Even though it was declassified, I was way too careless about it" and accepted blame.[53] Disclosure of that information was against Intelligence Committee rules; Leahy said he hastened his already planned departure from the committee because he was so angry at himself.[53] Later that year, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leahy said that if Reagan could not produce an acceptable Supreme Court nominee[c] to replace Lewis F. Powell Jr., after Robert Bork was rejected and Douglas Ginsburg withdrew, Senate Democrats would refuse hearings for any nominee until after the 1988 presidential election.[55] In May 1989, Leahy urged the Agriculture Department to withdraw the proposals regarding the reduction of federal inspections.[56] In May 1990, he and Representative Dan Glickman introduced the Consumer Seafood Safety Act, a bill that would have strengthened fish inspections.[57] Leahy has been active in the international effort to ban the production, export, and use of anti-personnel land mines.[58] In 1992, he penned a bill to prohibit the export of land mines, the first law of its kind.[59]
In February 1992, the George H. W. Bush administration and Israeli officials struggled to strike a deal that would entice both sides to proceed with a loan guarantee package. After a meeting between Secretary of State James Baker and Zalman Shoval failed to generate a compromise,[60] Baker informed Leahy of the meeting's contents and Leahy announced that he would introduce his own plan if the U.S. and Israel could not come to an agreement in the following weeks.[61] Later that month, the Bush administration announced the U.S. would present Israel with loan guarantees only if the Israeli government halted settlement building. Leahy supported the measure and introduced his own proposal that retained the $10 billion in loan guarantees, but "disbursed at a pace up to $2 billion a year for five years".[62] On November 20, 1993, Leahy voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement.[63] The agreement linked the U.S., Canada, and Mexico into a single free trade zone, and was signed into law on December 8 by President Bill Clinton.[64] Clinton publicly weighed reducing funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) by half. In March 1994, during a news conference, Leahy pledged that he would preserve funding for TEFAP, noting his 1987 lawsuit against Agriculture Secretary Richard Edmund Lyng and declaring that TEFAP maintained the same level of significance as it did then.[65] In August 1994, Leahy attended a news conference with the health advocacy group Public Voice, as it urged the federal government to take more ambitious steps to increase the healthiness of school lunches. He praised the 41 schools involved with Public Voice for setting a good example for the rest of the country and cited the importance of school lunches to education.[66] The 1994 midterm elections resulted in a Republican majority in the House for the first time since the 1950s,[67] and conversation arose of limiting feeding programs. Leahy remarked, "Not since the Great Depression has the possibility of millions of children lining up at soup kitchens been so real."[68] He cosponsored legislation with Indiana Republican Richard Lugar that led to the downsizing of the Agriculture Department. In December 1994, the department announced it was closing 1,274 field offices around the US, a scaling back that was estimated to save over $3 billion over the next five years. Leahy said the Agriculture Department was the only federal agency to succeed in its downsizing efforts and called on other agencies to follow its example.[69] In 1994, Leahy introduced legislation to encourage schools to ban soft drinks and other food items of "minimal nutritional value",[70] saying, "These vending profits go for good causes. But when it comes to vending machine junk food, it would be better to put pupils ahead of vending profits." The bill overcame opposition from The Coca-Cola Company and other representatives of the beverage industry, as well as some education organizations, and was enacted.[71] In October 1999, Leahy voted for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The treaty was designed to ban underground nuclear testing and was the first major international security pact to be defeated in the Senate since the Treaty of Versailles.[72][73]
1999 to 2009
The 1998 United States Senate election in Vermont was noteworthy, in that Republican candidate Fred Tuttle endorsed Leahy.[74] Tuttle was a retired farmer and the lead actor in the mock documentary film Man with a Plan, shot in Vermont, in which a farmer decides to run for Congress.[74] After winning the Republican nomination in a campaign designed both to promote the movie and to mock ostensible GOP frontrunner Jack McMullen, who had only recently moved to Vermont from Massachusetts, Tuttle recommended that voters support Leahy.[74][75] Leahy was touched by this gesture; he and Tuttle made several joint appearances during the campaign, and Leahy said of Tuttle that he was the "distilled essence of Vermonthood".[74]
The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center shifted American foreign policy focus to terrorism. In December 2006, during an appearance at the law school of Georgetown University, Leahy said that after the September 11 attacks, "the White House accelerated its power plays at the expense of the other branches of government, all in the name of fighting terrorism." He added that the administration had declined to answer "the legitimate oversight questions of the public's duly elected representatives", as well as broken the law by wiretapping Americans without warrants.[76] On September 13, 2002, Leahy said in a radio interview that an investigation should be launched into whether the West Nile virus was a biological terrorism effort.[77] During a July 1, 2007 interview, Leahy said he was not against lawful eavesdropping and recommended a revision to the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act, so potential terrorists could be investigated without question.[78] Leahy added that the White House had been subpoenaed, so George W. Bush administration officials could explain "the legal justification they tried to follow when, for years, they wiretapped ordinary Americans and everyone else put out a warrant."[78] Leahy was one of two senators targeted in the 2001 anthrax attacks. The anthrax letter meant for him was intercepted before it reached his office. In 2004, Leahy was awarded the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Champion of Freedom Award, for efforts in information privacy and open government. He is regarded as one of the leading privacy advocates in Congress.[79] In 2000, Leahy cosigned a letter sent to Appropriations Committee conference members, requesting a delay in implementing Section 304 in H.R. 4392, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001,[80] until it could be fully considered by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The amendment would introduce new felony crime laws, concerning the unauthorized disclosure of information. Leahy and his colleagues indicated this would be in conflict with existing First Amendment rights and Whistleblower Protection Acts.[81][82] On June 22, 2004, Leahy and Vice President Dick Cheney participated in the U.S. Senate class photo. After the vote, Cheney was talking to only Republicans. When Leahy asked him to come over and talk to the Democrats, Cheney upbraided Leahy for the Senator's recent excoriations of Halliburton's activities in Iraq. At the end of the exchange, Cheney told Leahy, "Go fuck yourself."[83][84] Leahy joked about the incident in 2007, when he escorted Bernie Sanders, Vermont's newly elected senator, to the well of the Senate where he was sworn in by Cheney: "When it comes to the vice president, it's always better to be sworn in than to be sworn at."[85]
Leahy opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and writes in his 2022 memoir that he found files with information that contradicted Dick Cheney's public statements about Iraq after mysterious joggers whose identities he did not know told him to request specific files.[86][87]
In March 2004, Leahy and Senator Orrin Hatch introduced the Pirate Act, backed by the Recording Industry Association of America. In July 2004, Leahy and Hatch introduced the INDUCE Act. Both were aimed at combating copyright infringement.[88] On November 2, 2004, Leahy easily defeated his opponent, businessman Jack McMullen, with 70.6 percent of the vote.[89] On September 21, 2005, Leahy announced his support for John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.[90] On January 19, 2006, Leahy announced that he would vote against Judge Samuel Alito, to be a justice of the Supreme Court.[91] He has a mixed record on gun control, being one of the few Senate Democrats to vote against the Brady Bill.[92] He voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and is in favor of phasing out farm subsidies. He voted against the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).[93] Leahy voted for the Defense of Marriage Act and was one of the few in his party to support the ban on intact dilation and extraction procedures.[94] In 2005, Project on Government Oversight, a government watchdog group, presented Leahy and Senator John Cornyn with its first ever Bi-Partisan Leadership Award, in honor of their cooperation on issues of government oversight and transparency, including their co-sponsorship of the OPEN Government Act of 2005, which prevented burying exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act in legislation.[95] On March 2, 2006, Leahy was one of ten senators to vote against the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, a bill to extend the USA PATRIOT Act. The Reauthorization Act changed the appointment process for interim United States attorneys, allowing the Attorney General of the United States to make interim appointments without term limit or Senatorial confirmation. This was an aspect of hearings in the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. In March 2007, both houses voted to overturn the interim appointment provision. On January 18, 2007, Leahy received widespread coverage for his cross-examination of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, about the Maher Arar affair and the extraordinary rendition of Arar to Syria.[96]
Later career (2009–present)
Leahy endorsed Barack Obama, the Democratic junior senator from Illinois, in the 2008 presidential election, and recorded a radio advertisement for the Obama campaign to be aired in Vermont.[97]
In May 2009, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor received criticism for having said "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." In June, Leahy discussed the remark with Sotomayor, during their meeting, and secured her consent to recount the comment. According to Leahy, the comment meant she believed one's life experiences influence who they are, but that judges of all ethnic backgrounds are still required to follow the law, which is the same for every American.[98] In August, on the day of Sotomayor's confirmation, Leahy defended her record against Republican critics: "Judge Sotomayor's career and judicial record demonstrates that she has always followed the rule of law. Attempts at distorting that record by suggesting that her ethnicity or heritage will be the driving force in her decisions as a justice of the Supreme Court are demeaning to women and all communities of color."[99]
On September 20, 2010, Leahy introduced the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, Senate Bill S. 3804, which would allow the court to issue a restraining order or injunction against Internet domain names which infringe upon copyright.[100]
In May 2011, Leahy introduced the Protect IP Act (PIPA) to the Senate. The bill was drafted to give the U.S. government and copyright holders additional tools to fight copyright piracy and counterfeit goods trafficking by foreign rogue websites. Critics of the bill said it would be ineffective, impede free expression on the internet, and interfere with its infrastructure. Leahy subsequently indicated that he would favor further research into provisions that raised objections.[101]
Leahy chaired the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee from 1987 until 1995 the Judiciary Committee from 2001 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2015. He is one of the key Democratic leaders on Senate issues on rules for filling federal judgeships, via advise and consent. Leahy serves as second-highest Democrat on the Appropriations Committee and as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. In his position as the second-highest Democrat on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, Leahy chairs the Agriculture Subcommittee on Research, Nutrition and General Legislation.
Upon the death of Senate President pro tempore Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, on December 17, 2012, Leahy became the most senior senator in the majority party, and was elected president pro tempore by unanimous consent.[102][103] He was succeeded in this post by Orrin Hatch on January 3, 2015, and became president pro tempore emeritus.
In February 2013, Leahy was one of 24 senators to sign a letter asserting that Sikh, Hindu and Arab Americans were often targets of violence because they were mistaken for radical Muslims and citing a need for the federal government to "begin tracking information about anti-Sikh, anti-Hindu and anti-Arab hate crimes as soon as possible so that law enforcement can more effectively respond to this threat".[104]
In June 2013, Leahy filed three amendments to an immigration reform package, including one that proposed recognizing same-sex marriages when one spouse is an American. He said implementation of the amendment would end discrimination in the American immigration system and that seeking "equal protection under our laws for the LGBT community is the right thing to do."[105]
According to GovTrack, in 2013, Leahy was the senator who has sponsored the most bipartisan bills. Sixty-one percent of bills he sponsored had both Democratic and Republican co-sponsors.[106]
In January 2015, Leahy headed a congressional delegation to Cuba, meant to "impress upon Cuban leaders the importance of concrete results and positive momentum". It was American officials' first visit to Cuba, since President Obama announced normalized relations between the US and Cuba the previous month.[107]
In July 2015, after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was unveiled, an international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran,[108] Leahy issued a statement saying it was preferable to war and calling it "unfortunate" that some members of Congress opposed the deal as the lack of deal would allow Iran to further develop nuclear weapons.[109]
In January 2017, during a hearing, Leahy asked Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, whether he believed grabbing a woman by her genitals without consent was sexual assault, in reference to comments made by Trump on the Access Hollywood tape that had surfaced during the election cycle. Leahy also asked Sessions if he would be able to "prosecute and investigate" a president or elected official who had been accused of committing the aforementioned act.[110]
In April 2017, Leahy was one of 11 senators to cosponsor a bill that would have restored a FCC rule requiring internet service providers to obtain permission from customers before selling data about them to advertisers that had been repealed earlier in the week.[111]
On June 1, 2017, weeks after the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Leahy and Senator Al Franken of Minnesota released a joint statement disclosing their prior request of Comey to investigate all contacts and communications Attorney General Sessions or his aides had with Russian government officials and raised the question of whether Sessions had committed perjury in his Senate testimony.[112]
In September 2017, Leahy was one of eight senators to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a defense policy bill that included $640 billion in base defense spending and $60 billion in war funds.[113]
In November 2017, Leahy was one of ten Democratic senators to sign a letter urging Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the planned demolitions of Palestinian villages Khan al-Ahmar and Sussiya, on the grounds that such action would further impede efforts to seek a two-state solution and "endanger Israel's future as a Jewish democracy".[114]
On January 18, 2018, Leahy announced he would not support the stopgap measure for the fiscal year to avert a government shutdown, saying the House bill left "too much undone, and it is woefully inadequate". Leahy added that bipartisan support for the bill would only come from collaborating with Democrats and charged Republicans with "appealing for our support only after they've written a mishmash bill crafted behind closed doors".[115] After the United States federal government shutdown of January 2018 commenced,[116] Leahy was one of 18 senators to vote against temporary funding.[117]
In February 2018, Leahy was one of four senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis requesting that the Pentagon estimate the cost of and time needed to assemble President Trump's requested military parade, calling the parade seemingly "inappropriate and wasteful" at a time of war.[118]
In March 2018, Leahy wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley in which he expressed his fear that "the damage being done to the FBI, and to our nation's institutions more broadly, will far outlast any current crises unless we take decisive, bipartisan action" and requested an oversight hearing on the Trump administration's criticisms of the FBI and Justice Department.[119]
In September 2018, as the Senate weighed the first spending package for the 2019 fiscal year, Leahy advocated for increasing the spending cap for a veterans' care program. When this proposal was not implemented in the final version of the package, which consisted of military construction and veterans' affairs, legislative branch, and energy and water, Leahy warned the decision would leave the VA choice program unfunded.[120]
In October 2018, Leahy, along with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, and Lindsey Graham, sent President Trump a letter requesting that he begin an investigation of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The letter asked Trump to report the findings within 120 days, along with a decision on whether to impose sanctions on those found responsible.[121] Later that month, Leahy was one of eight senators to sign a letter to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats requesting a classified briefing on what the American intelligence community knew about threats to Khashoggi, so that the senators may fulfill their "oversight obligation" as members of Congress.[122] In March 2019, Leahy was one of nine Democratic senators to sign a letter to Salman of Saudi Arabia requesting the release of human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair and writer Raif Badawi, women's rights activists Loujain al-Hathloul and Samar Badawi, and Dr. Walid Fitaih. The senators wrote, "Not only have reputable international organizations detailed the arbitrary detention of peaceful activists and dissidents without trial for long periods, but the systematic discrimination against women, religious minorities and mistreatment of migrant workers and others has also been well-documented."[123]
In December 2018, after United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Trump administration would suspend its obligations in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 60 days, if Russia continued to violate the treaty, Leahy was one of 26 senators to sign a letter expressing concern over the administration's "now abandoning generations of bipartisan U.S. leadership around the paired goals of reducing the global role and number of nuclear weapons and ensuring strategic stability with America's nuclear-armed adversaries" and calling on President Trump to continue arms negotiations.[124]
After Minnesota Representative Rick Nolan retired from Congress in 2019, Leahy became the only remaining Watergate baby in Congress.[125]
Leahy endorsed fellow Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign.[126]
In May 2021, POLITICO reported that Leahy was "leaning toward [running for a ninth term]" and asking his Senate colleagues for support.[127] On November 15, 2021, Leahy announced that he was not running for a ninth term.
Upon the death of Representative Don Young on March 18, 2022, Leahy became the longest-serving current member of Congress.[128]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
- Committee on Appropriations (chair)[129]
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Defense
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Committee on Rules and Administration
Nomination for UN General Assembly
In September 2022, Leahy was nominated as a representative of the United States to the Seventy-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly.[130]
Political positions
This section appears to be slanted towards recent events. (March 2021) |
Leahy has held progressive political positions that are generally in line with those of the state.
Abortion
Leahy has generally supported abortion rights, rejecting proposals to limit minors or those stationed on military bases from having the procedure performed. He voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 1995 and for it between 1997 and 2003.[131][132]
On March 11, 1982, Leahy voted against a measure sponsored by Orrin Hatch that sought to reverse Roe v. Wade and allow Congress and individual states to adopt laws banning abortions. Its passing was the first time a congressional committee supported an anti-abortion amendment.[133][134]
Agriculture
In 2019, Leahy worked with Senators Sherrod Brown, Susan Collins, and David Perdue on a bipartisan effort to ensure students have access to local foods. The proposal would bolster the Farm to School Grant Program, administered by the Agriculture Department, and raise the program's authorized level from $5 million to $15 million, in addition to furthering the maximum grant award to $250,000.[135]
In March 2019, Leahy was one of 38 senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue warning that dairy farmers "have continued to face market instability and are struggling to survive the fourth year of sustained low prices", and urging his department to "strongly encourage these farmers to consider the Dairy Margin Coverage program".[136]
In May 2019, Leahy and eight other Democratic senators sent Perdue a letter that criticized the USDA for using farm bailout money to purchase pork from the Brazilian-owned JBS USA, writing that it was "counterproductive and contradictory" for foreign companies to receive "U.S. taxpayer dollars intended to help American farmers struggling with this administration's trade policy". The senators requested that the department "ensure these commodity purchases are carried out in a manner that most benefits the American farmer's bottom line—not the business interests of foreign corporations."[137]
In June 2019, Leahy and 18 other Democratic senators sent USDA Inspector General (IG), Phyllis K. Fong, a letter requesting that she investigate USDA instances of retaliation and political decision-making, and arguing that to not conduct an investigation would mean these "actions could be perceived as a part of this administration's broader pattern of not only discounting the value of federal employees, but suppressing, undermining, discounting, and wholesale ignoring scientific data produced by their own qualified scientists."[138]
Antitrust, competition, and corporate regulation
In June 2019, Leahy was one of six Democrats, led by Amy Klobuchar, who signed letters to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice recounting that many of them had "called on both the FTC and the Justice Department to investigate potential anticompetitive activity in these markets, particularly following the significant enforcement actions taken by foreign competition enforcers against these same companies", and requesting that each agency confirm whether it had opened antitrust investigations into each of the companies and that each agency pledge to publicly release any such investigation's findings.[139]
Cannabis
Leahy supports states' rights to make their own cannabis laws. He proposed a companion to the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, which would extend protections to states that have legalized cannabis in some form. It became known as the Leahy Amendment, and prevents the federal government from spending federal tax dollars to prosecute people who are following their state's cannabis laws.[140][141]
Child care
In 2019, Leahy and 34 other senators introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act, a bill that created 770,000 new child care jobs and ensured that families making less than 75 percent of the state median income did not pay for child care, with higher earning families having to pay "their fair share for care on a sliding scale, regardless of the number of children they have". The legislation also supported universal access to high-quality preschool programs for all three- and four-year-olds, changed compensation for the child care workforce, and provided training to aid both teachers and caregivers.[142]
China
In a September 12, 2019, press release, Leahy condemned the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and contended that Falun Gong is a threat to the survival of the Chinese Communist Party. He also argued that the Chinese government should commit to ending the use of torture, organ harvesting of prisoners, and propaganda against minorities.[143]
Civil justice
In February 2016, Leahy introduced the "Restoring Statutory Rights Act",[144] to "prevent companies from imposing forced arbitration in cases covered by consumer protection laws, as well as employment discrimination and other civil rights matters".[145][146]
Civil rights and privacy
Leahy has been supported by the NAACP and is outspoken in his support for affirmative action. He has supported the legalization of gay marriage and reducing discrimination against gays and lesbians. Leahy has called for the domestic partners of federal employees to receive the same benefits as heterosexual couples.[147]
Leahy is a lead sponsor of the Senate version of the Email Privacy Act, which would reform the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and enhance privacy protections for email. He sponsored this bipartisan bill with Republican Mike Lee of Utah.[148][149]
Criminal justice
Leahy has called for a moratorium on the death penalty and for more DNA testing for death row inmates. He supports rehabilitation as the goal of prisons and providing treatment, instead of punishment, for first-time offenders.[citation needed]
In February 2015, Leahy and Republican Rand Paul revived the Justice Safety Valve Act, legislation granting federal judges authority to bestow sentences lower than the mandatory punishment in certain cases, where the sentence violates standards for fair punishment as defined elsewhere in American law.[150]
In October 2017, Leahy cosponsored a bill aimed at easing sentences for some nonviolent offenders, such as for drug crimes, while beefing up other tough-on-crime laws. The bill would have abolished the three-strike mandatory life sentence for some repeat drug offenders and authorized enhanced penalties for some individuals with previous convictions for serious violent and drug felonies.[151]
On July 31, 2019, after Attorney General William Barr announced that the federal government would resume carrying out the death penalty, for the first time in over 20 years, Leahy, Cory Booker, and Dick Durbin introduced a bill that would ban the death penalty. Leahy said capital punishment fails "by any objective measure", citing its finality and juries' propensity to mistakenly convict.[152]
Defense
Leahy was a longtime critic of the Iraq War, and spoke in favor of timetables for troop withdrawal, saying the country needs well-trained employees in both foreign service and private industry to help repair damage to its civilian structure. He has been critical of the PATRIOT Act, even though he has voted to reauthorize altered versions of it.[147] In June 2013, following the disclosure of PRISM and other covert surveillance activities by the National Security Agency, Leahy introduced a bill that would tighten guidelines related to the acquisition of FISA warrants for domestic surveillance and shorten the current FISA authorization by two years.[153]
Leahy has always opposed the opening and operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp,[154][155] and supported punishment of war profiteering.[156]
Economy
On taxation, Leahy has consistently supported progressive rates. He has rejected proposals to remove the Estate Tax and Alternative Minimum Tax, and he has spoken out strongly against cutting taxes for the wealthy. Leahy has strongly supported the rights of employees, and has voted to increase the minimum wage and allow for more union organization. He has voted against a free trade proposal, CAFTA, but supported normalizing trade relations with China.[147]
Environment
Leahy has been a strong supporter of environmental policy. He has supported bills that would increase hydrogen car production, uphold Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, set a goal of reducing oil consumption by 40 percent in 2025, and increase solar and wind power funding.[citation needed]
Climate change
In 2011, Leahy voted against limiting EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.[157] In 2013, he voted against a concurrent resolution creating a point of order which would make it harder for Congress to put a price on carbon.[158][159] In 2015, he voted in support of Obama's Clean Power Plan.[160] On his Climate Change page, he states that "human activity, since the Industrial Revolution, has contributed, in large part, to the changes in climate."[161] He has supported the establishment of greenhouse gas tradeable allowances and has spoken out against the use of ethanol as a solution to rising gasoline prices.[147]
In June 2017, after President Trump announced the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Leahy called the move a "great leap backward", adding that pandering "to a handful of billionaires and special interests would impose huge harm upon our generation, upon future generations, and upon our fragile planet." He said he intended "to ensure that this stroke of the president's pen does not derail Vermonters' hard work and leadership to protect our communities from climate risk, and that it does not deter the entrepreneurs and innovators in Vermont and other states who are expanding the world markets for the clean green energy and conservation technologies that will shape our future."[162]
In February 2019, in response to reports that the EPA intended to decide against setting limits for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in drinking water, as part of an upcoming national strategy to manage the chemicals, Leahy was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Acting EPA Administrator, Andrew R. Wheeler, calling on the agency "to develop enforceable federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS, as well as institute immediate actions to protect the public from contamination from additional per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)".[163]
Pipelines
In October 2016, Leahy was one of five senators to sign a letter to President Obama requesting that the administration halt work on the Dakota Access Pipeline, until the permitting process of the Army Corps could "be transparent and include public notice and participation, formal and meaningful tribal consultation, and adequate environmental review", and stating their support for the "tribes along the pipeline route in their fight against the Dakota Access pipeline project".[164]
First Amendment
Leahy spoke strongly against a proposed constitutional ban on flag burning and on its implications for freedom of speech and expression. He rejects school prayer initiatives.[165]
Gun laws
Leahy has generally supported gun control, including requiring background checks at gun shows and allowing for lawsuits against firearms manufacturers. He voted in favor of prohibiting foreign and UN aid that inhibits gun ownership.[147]
In January 2019, Leahy was one of 40 senators to introduce the Background Check Expansion Act, a bill that would require background checks for either the sale or transfer of all firearms, including unlicensed sellers. Exceptions to the bill's background check requirement included transfers between members of law enforcement, loaning firearms for either hunting or sporting events on a temporary basis, giving firearms to members of one's immediate family, firearms being transferred as part of an inheritance, or giving a firearm to another person temporarily for immediate self-defense.[166]
In February 2019, Leahy was one of 38 senators to sign a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham calling on him to "hold a hearing" on universal background checks and noting Graham's statement in the press that he "intended to have the Committee work on 'red flag' legislation and potentially also background checks, both actions" the senators indicated their support for.[167]
Health care
Leahy has stated the importance of increasing the prevalence of public health care, during times of economic downturn. He voted to increase Medicare benefits and to allow this organization to negotiate lower-priced, bulk prescriptions from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Leahy has broken with Democratic leadership in supporting allowing states to make bulk drug purchases on their own, an idea he has characterized as an important short-term solution until Congress can agree on a similar proposal.[citation needed]
In a May 2012 speech on the Senate floor, Leahy advocated that Chief Justice John Roberts uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act: "The conservative activism of recent years has not been good for the court. Given the ideological challenge to the Affordable Care Act and the extensive, supportive precedent, it would be extraordinary for the Supreme Court not to defer to Congress in this matter that so clearly affects interstate commerce."[168]
In March 2017, after House Republicans withdrew the American Health Care Act, Leahy released a statement touting the accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act and charging Republicans with trying to undo the record with a bill that was really "a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans".[169]
In September 2017, Leahy was one of 16 senators to co-sponsor the Medicare for All Act, introduced by his fellow Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, which would establish a single-payer healthcare system in the United States.
In December 2018, Leahy was one of 42 senators to sign a letter to Trump administration officials Alex Azar, Seema Verma, and Steve Mnuchin arguing that the administration was improperly using Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act to authorize states to "increase health care costs for millions of consumers while weakening protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions". The senators requested the administration withdraw the policy and "re-engage with stakeholders, states, and Congress".[170]
In February 2019, Leahy and 22 other Democratic senators introduced the State Public Option Act, a bill that would authorize states to form a Medicaid buy-in program for all residents and thereby grant them the ability to buy into a state-driven Medicaid health insurance plan if they wished. Brian Schatz, a bill cosponsor, said the legislation would "unlock each state's Medicaid program to anyone who wants it, giving people a high-quality, low-cost public health insurance option" and that its goal was "to make sure that every single American has comprehensive health care coverage".[171]
Immigration
In February 2018, after the Supreme Court declined to immediately consider the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Leahy said that Congress should have acted on immigration reform the previous year, and urged Congress to act, while admitting the Supreme Court decision had reduced pressure to pass legislation quickly.[172]
In June 2018, Leahy, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Joni Ernst wrote a letter to United States Defense Secretary James Mattis saying they were "deeply troubled by the department's decision to send 21 active and reserve JAGs to the border on temporary orders to prosecute immigration cases", expressing the view that dispatching "twenty-one trial counsel from military courtrooms to prosecute immigration cases is an inappropriate misapplication of military personnel", and urging Mattis to maintain the military lawyers within the military justice system.[173]
In August 2018, Leahy was one of 17 senators to sign a letter to United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen demanding that the Trump administration take immediate action in attempting to reunite 539 migrant children with their families, citing each passing day of inaction as intensifying "trauma that this administration has needlessly caused for children and their families seeking humanitarian protection".[174]
In September 2018, after nearly $10 million of the Federal Emergency Management Agency budget was transferred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Leahy said in a statement, "I am hopeful that the administration will see the consequences of its actions and begin to work with Republicans AND Democrats to actually address the problems in our immigration system. Fomenting fears against immigrants is not governing—it's demagoguery on the taxpayer's dime. It needs to stop now."[175]
In January 2019, Leahy was one of 20 senators to sponsor the Dreamer Confidentiality Act, a bill banning the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from passing information collected on DACA recipients to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Justice, or any other law enforcement agency with exceptions in the case of fraudulent claims, national security issues, or non-immigration related felonies.[176]
In July 2019, following reports that the Trump administration intended to cease protecting spouses, parents and children of active-duty service members from deportation, Leahy was one of 22 senators, led by Tammy Duckworth, to sign a letter arguing that the protection gave service members the ability "to fight for the United States overseas and not worry that their spouse, children, or parents will be deported while they are away" and that its termination would both cause service members personal hardship and negatively affect their combat performance.[177]
Internet privacy
In April 2017, after President Trump signed a law undoing a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring internet service providers to obtain their customers' permission to sell their data to advertisers, Leahy was one of 11 senators to sponsor legislation undoing the repeal and reinstating the regulations.[111]
Iran
In May 2018, Leahy was one of 12 senators to sign a letter to Trump urging him not to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, on the grounds that "Iran could either remain in the agreement and seek to isolate the United States from our closest partners, or resume its nuclear activities" if the U.S. pulled out and that both possibilities "would be detrimental to our national security interests".[178]
Israel
Leahy has signed resolutions in support of Israel's right to self-defense, but has also been critical of alleged human rights violations in the region, especially after the 2008 Operation Cast Lead.
In 2011, Leahy initially promoted a bill to cut the military aid to three elite IDF units after reports of human rights violations during the Gaza flotilla raid and in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.[179]
In February 2016, Leahy joined ten House of Representatives members asking the State Department to investigate suspected human rights violations by Egyptian and Israeli security forces, in particular citing claims of extrajudicial killings that could trigger the Leahy Law, which can cause the suspension of American military aid to countries guilty of such abuses.[180]
In April 2019, after the Trump administration refused to distribute money to West Bank and Gaza "because of perceived intransigence on peace talks by the Palestinians and payments to the families of those who have attacked Israelis", Leahy was one of six Democratic senators to introduce a resolution restoring U.S. humanitarian aid to the West Bank and Gaza.[181]
In May 2020, Leahy voiced his opposition to Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territories.[182]
Opioids
In March 2017, Leahy was one of 21 senators, led by Ed Markey, to sign a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that said that 12% of adult Medicaid beneficiaries had some form of a substance abuse disorder, that one-third of treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders in the U.S. is financed by Medicaid, and that the American Health Care Act could "very literally translate into a death spiral for those with opioid use disorders" due to inadequate funding, often resulting in individuals abandoning substance use disorder treatment.[183]
LGBT issues
In October 2018, Leahy was one of 20 senators to sign a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to reverse the rolling back of a policy that granted visas to same-sex partners of LGBTQ diplomats who had unions that were not recognized by their home countries, writing that too many places around the world have seen LGBTQ individuals "subjected to discrimination and unspeakable violence, and receive little or no protection from the law or local authorities", and that refusing to let LGBTQ diplomats bring their partners to the US would be equivalent of upholding "the discriminatory policies of many countries around the world".[184]
North Korea
In June 2018, Leahy was one of seven Democrats to sign a letter cautioning Trump that they would not support lifting sanctions against North Korea unless a nuclear agreement between it and the US met five standards outlined in the letter.[185] In a statement after the North Korea–United States summit, Leahy commended Trump "for beginning direct negotiations" but added that it was troubling that Trump "agreed to unilaterally halt military exercises with South Korea without verifiable commitments from North Korea to denuclearize, while giving Kim the recognition he has long craved."[186]
Russia
In December 2010, Leahy voted for the ratification of New START,[187] a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation obliging both countries to have no more than 1,550 strategic warheads and 700 launchers deployed during the next seven years, and providing for a continuation of on-site inspections that halted when START I expired the previous year. It was the first arms treaty with Russia in eight years.[188]
In February 2017, Leahy was one of 11 senators to sign a letter to United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions expressing their concern "about credible allegations that the Trump campaign, transition team, and Administration has colluded with the Russian government, including most recently the events leading to the resignation of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser". The senators requested the creation of "an independent Special Counsel to investigate collusion with the Russian government by General Flynn and other Trump campaign, transition and Administrative officials", in order to maintain "the confidence, credibility and impartiality of the Department of Justice".[189]
Other issues
Leahy has consistently voted to uphold Social Security and has opposed school vouchers.[147]
Leahy supported Joe Biden's plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan.[190]
Awards
In 2013, Leahy received the annual U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official from the Jefferson Awards for Public Service.[191]
In 2014, the Congressional Management Foundation awarded Leahy a "Silver Mouse Award" for his website, and a "Gold Mouse Award" for his engagement on social media.[192]
Leahy is the recipient of several honorary degrees, including:
- Saint Michael's College, LL.D., 1976[193]
- Middlebury College, LL.D., 2011[194]
- Albany College of Pharmacy, D.Sc., 2013[195]
- Green Mountain College, LL.D., 2014[196]
Personal life
Family
Leahy married Marcelle Pomerleau in 1962.[197] Her parents, Louis Philippe Pomerleau and Cecile Bouchard Pomerleau, emigrated to the United States from Quebec, and she is bilingual (English and French).[198] The extended Pomerleau family established several successful Vermont businesses, and includes her uncle Antonio Pomerleau (d. 2018), a prominent real estate developer and philanthropist.[198][199] Marcelle Leahy graduated from the nursing school at Burlington's former DeGoesbriand Hospital.[197] She is a registered nurse and has worked at hospitals in Burlington, Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia.[198] The Leahys have resided in a farmhouse in Middlesex, Vermont, since moving from Burlington, and have three children.[197] In 2012, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, with Leahy saying, "We hate it when we're apart from one another."[197]
Health
On January 26, 2021, Leahy was hospitalized "out of an abundance of caution" after feeling ill. His hospitalization occurred hours after he had been sworn in as the presiding officer for Trump's second impeachment trial.[200] He returned home later the same day.[201]
On June 29, 2022, Leahy fractured his hip after falling at his home in McLean, Virginia. He underwent hip replacement surgery the next day, and had a second operation related to his hip injury on July 19, 2022.[202][203]
Leahy was hospitalized again on October 13, 2022, after feeling unwell. He was kept overnight for "tests and observation" and discharged the following day.[204]
Other
Leahy is a published photographer and author.[205][206] He is a Roman Catholic and attends Saint Andrew's Church in Waterbury, Vermont.[207] He also attends Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.[207]
Comic book fan
Leahy is a fan of comic books, and in particular the character Batman. He wrote the foreword to The Dark Knight Archives, Volume 1 (a 1992 collection of the first four Batman comic books), the preface essay for Batman: Death of Innocents (a 1996 graphic novel about the horrors of landmines), and the introduction to Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest (a single-volume collection of a six-issue story arc).
Leahy has also made several cameo appearances in Batman television episodes and films, beginning with an uncredited cameo in Batman Forever (1995).[208][209] He voiced a territorial governor in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Showdown" (1995), appeared as himself in the film Batman & Robin (1997), and appeared twice in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy as a Wayne Enterprises board member. In The Dark Knight (2008) he appeared as a fundraiser guest who confronts the Joker.[210] In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), he defended the legacy of the Wayne family against attempts to usurp the company by industrialist John Daggett.[211] Leahy also appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, playing Senator Purrington, in a scene set during Superman's Senate hearing which is subsequently destroyed by an explosion.[212]
All royalties and fees from Leahy's roles are donated to charities, primarily the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Vermont, where he read comic books as a child.[209][213]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Batman Forever | Himself | Uncredited cameo | [214][215] |
| Batman: The Animated Series | Territorial Governor | Voice; Episode: "Showdown" | [216] | |
| 1997 | Batman & Robin | Himself | Cameo | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Wayne Enterprises board member | ||
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | |||
| 2016 | Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice | Senator Purrington | [217] |
Electoral history
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy | 19,801 | 83.9% | |
| Democratic | Nathaniel Frothingham | 3,703 | 15.7% | |
| None | Scattering | 97 | 0.4% | |
| Total votes | 23,601 | 100% | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy | 70,629 | 49.48 | |
| Republican | Richard W. Mallary | 66,223 | 46.39 | |
| Liberty Union | Bernie Sanders | 5,901 | 4.13 | |
| Total votes | 142,753 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 27,548 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 27,548 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 104,089 | 49.76 | |
| Republican | Stewart M. Ledbetter | 101,647 | 48.59 | |
| independent (politician) | Anthony N. Doria | 1,764 | 0.84 | |
| Liberty Union | Earl S. Gardner | 1,578 | 0.75 | |
| Write-in | 110 | 0.05 | ||
| Total votes | 209,188 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 21,255 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 21,255 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 124,123 | 63.16 | |
| Republican | Dick Snelling | 67,798 | 34.50 | |
| Conservative | Anthony N. Doria | 2,963 | 1.51 | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 1,583 | 0.81 | |
| Write-in | 65 | 0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 196,532 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 24,721 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 24,721 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 154,762 | 54.16 | |
| Republican | Jim Douglas | 123,854 | 43.35 | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 5,121 | 1.79 | |
| Freedom for LaRouche | Michael B. Godeck | 1,780 | 0.62 | |
| Write-in | 222 | 0.08 | ||
| Total votes | 285,739 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 18,643 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 18,643 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 154,567 | 72.22 | |
| Republican | Fred Tuttle | 48,051 | 22.45 | |
| Libertarian | Hugh Douglas | 4,199 | 1.96 | |
| independent (politician) | Barry M. Nelson | 2,893 | 1.35 | |
| Vermont Grassroots | Bob Melamede | 2,459 | 1.15 | |
| Liberty Union | Jerry Levy | 1,238 | 0.58 | |
| Write-in | 629 | 0.29 | ||
| Total votes | 214,036 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 27,459 | 94.32 | |
| Democratic | Craig Hill | 1,573 | 5.40 | |
| Write-in | 81 | 0.28 | ||
| Total votes | 29,113 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 216,972 | 70.63 | |
| Republican | Jack McMullen | 75,398 | 24.54 | |
| Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 6,486 | 2.11 | |
| Green | Craig Hill | 3,999 | 1.30 | |
| independent (politician) | Keith Stern | 3,300 | 1.07 | |
| Liberty Union | Ben Mitchell | 879 | 0.29 | |
| Write-in | 174 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 307,208 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 64,756 | 88.92 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Freilich | 7,892 | 10.84 | |
| Write-in | 175 | 0.24 | ||
| Total votes | 72,823 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 151,281 | 64.32 | |
| Republican | Len Britton | 72,699 | 30.91 | |
| independent (politician) | Daniel Freilich | 3,544 | 1.51 | |
| Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 2,731 | 1.16 | |
| independent (politician) | Stephen J. Cain | 2,356 | 1.00 | |
| Socialist | Pete Diamondstone | 1,433 | 0.61 | |
| independent (politician) | Johenry Nunes | 1,021 | 0.43 | |
| Write-in | 133 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 235,198 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 62,249 | 88.59 | |
| Democratic | Cris Ericson | 7,596 | 10.81 | |
| Write-in | 424 | 0.60 | ||
| Total votes | 70,269 | 100.00 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Patrick Leahy (incumbent) | 192,243 | 61.26 | |
| Republican | Scott Milne | 103,637 | 33.03 | |
| Marijuana | Cris Ericson | 9,156 | 2.92 | |
| independent (politician) | Jerry Trudell | 5,223 | 1.66 | |
| Liberty Union | Pete Diamondstone | 3,241 | 1.03 | |
| Write-in | 309 | 0.10 | ||
| Total votes | 313,809 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Books
- Leahy, Patrick (August 23, 2022). The Road Taken: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982157357. OCLC 1265084645.
See also
Explanatory notes
- ^ Leahy received an LL.B. degree.[12] Law schools began offering the Juris Doctor as the graduate law degree in the late 1960s; Georgetown made the change in 1967 and made it retroactive so previous graduates could have their degrees revised.[13]
- ^ Prior to 1856, Vermont's U.S. Senators were members of the Anti-Administration, Democratic-Republican, Federalist, Anti-Jacksonian, and Whig parties. From 1856 to 1975, all Vermont's U.S. senators were Republicans.
- ^ Senate Democrats noted several proposed nominees, most emphatically Pasco Bowman II and John Clifford Wallace, as unacceptable immediately following Bork’s rejection.[54]
References
- ^ Garcia, Eric (July 6, 2017). "Congress' 'Watergate babies' compare, contrast current events". Duluth News Tribune. Duluth, Minnesota. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ Bolton, Alexander; Carney, Jordain (January 25, 2021). "Leahy, not Roberts, to preside over impeachment trial". The Hill. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ Davis, Susan (January 25, 2020). "Sen. Patrick Leahy To Preside Over Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial". NPR.
- ^ Teaganne, Finn; Jacob Fulton (November 15, 2021). "Sen. Patrick Leahy announces he won't run for re-election". NBC News.
- ^ a b D'Ambrosio, Dan (March 5, 2016). "Patrick Leahy's legacy of fighting for human rights". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT.
- ^ United States Senate (1983). An Amendment to the National Security Act of 1947: Hearings Before the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, DC. pp. 25–26.
- ^ Gaudiano, Nicole (January 19, 2013). "Vermont Sen. Leahy Takes Shots Like No One Else". USA Today. Tysons Corner, VA. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ "Senate's Leahy finds peace on his Vermont farm". NBC News. Associated Press. July 6, 2009.
- ^ Congress, United States; Michael, W. H. (2001). Official Congressional Directory. ISBN 9780160509834.
- ^ a b Nutting, Brian; Hawkins, David (2003). Politics In America 2004. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1026. ISBN 9781568028132.
- ^ a b c d "Two Montpelier Youths Receiving Degrees Today at St. Michael's". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Barre, VT. June 5, 1961. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Georgetown University Law Center (1964). Georgetown University Law Center Bulletin, 1964-1965 (PDF). Washington, DC: Georgetown University. p. 84.
- ^ "Georgetown Law Chronology: 1870-2019". Georgetown Law Library Special Collections. Washington, DC: Georgetown Law School. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Montpelier: Law School Graduate". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. June 19, 1964. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "State's Attorney, City Grand Juror Resign". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. May 7, 1966. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Leahy To Help Draft Bills". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Barre, VT. January 6, 1965. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Board Delays Settlement of Wheeler School Land Cases". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. December 15, 1965. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Leahy Sworn in as State's Atty". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. May 10, 1966. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chittenden County Democratic". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. November 9, 1966. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Boardman, William (August 12, 2012). "Vermont Attorney General Race Doesn't Have a Lot of Rules". Independent Voter Project. San Diego, CA.
- ^ a b Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. p. 184. ISBN 978-1-58465-086-7.
- ^ Kifner, John (August 2, 1976). "Drug Raid Leader Jailed in Vermont". The New York Times. New York, NY. pp. 1, 33 – via TimesMachine.
- ^ Boyd, Bob (January 3, 2015). "Legacy of a 'super cop' turned bad". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT.
- ^ Stigliani, Emilie Teresa (February 14, 2016). "Marcelle & Patrick Leahy: A Vermont love story". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT.
- ^ a b Craven, Jasper (October 26, 2016). "The Leahy legacy: Fidel, fundraising and influential friends". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
- ^ "Vermont Senators". senate.gov. United States Senate. April 15, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ "Patrick Leahy sworn in as president pro tempore of Senate after Daniel Inouye's death". The Oregonian. Associated Press. December 18, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. 1981. p. 92 – via Google Books.
- ^ (PDF). vermont-elections.org. April 15, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2010.
- ^ Dendy, Dallas Jr. (May 29, 1987). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1986" (PDF). clerk.house.gov.
- ^ Dendy, Dallas Jr. (May 31, 1993). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1992" (PDF). clerk.house.gov.
- ^ Heintz, Paul (October 12, 2016). "Forty-Two Years a Senator: Has Leahy Served Long Enough?". Vermont Seven Days. Burlington, VT.
But the senator himself seems rattled by his opponent's attacks, perhaps because he has not faced a competitive race since 1992.
- ^ Hillgren, Sonja (May 19, 1981). "Two Democrats led the opposition Tuesday to President Reagan's ..." UPI. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ King, Seth S. (May 17, 1981). "New Hearings Asked on Forests Nominee – Democrats Seek Delay in Light of Crowell's Positions With Two Other Lumber Concerns". The New York Times. p. 33. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ King, Seth S. (May 21, 1981). "Forest Chief Gains Senate's Approval – Democrats Make a Futile Attempt to Return Crowell Nomination for Committee Hearings". The New York Times. p. A19. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Senate Votes Interior Dept. Bill Exceeding New Reagan Budget Goal". The New York Times. October 28, 1981. p. A23. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "The 90–4 vote by which the Senate approved the ..." UPI. December 3, 1981.
- ^ Roberts, Steven V. (December 3, 1981). "Senators Reject Plan for Placing MX Missile in Silos". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Webbe, Stephen (December 4, 1981). "Reagan scorns Senate rejection of silo-based MX missile plan". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Maitland, Leslie (July 21, 1982). "Senate Unit Starts Studying F.B.I. Undercover Inquiries". The New York Times. p. A12. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Joseph F. (March 12, 1982). "Williams Quits Senate Seat As Vote to Expel Him Nears; Still Asserts He Is Innocent – Successor Weighed – Kean Says He Has a List of 50 For Post But Will Not Rush to Fill It". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Bachrach, Judy (February 1, 1982). "Facing Expulsion from the Senate He Loves, Harrison Williams Finds Some Unlikely Supporters". People. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
One of them, who asks for anonymity, recalls 'going over to Pete and Nancy's house in Westfield, N.J. and having coffee together. Pete looked about 80 years old—horrible.'
- ^ "The 54–33 vote by which the Senate gave final ..." UPI. December 23, 1982. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Tolchin, Martin (December 24, 1982). "Filibuster Cut Off, Senate Votes Rise in Gas Tax, 54 to 33 – 97th Congress Ends – Bill Lifts Levy to 9 Cents a Gallon on April 1st to Pay for Road Repair". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Maraniss, David (December 24, 1982). "Senate Passes Gas-Tax Bill, Closes the 97th". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Senate's Roll-Call Vote on King Holiday". The New York Times. October 20, 1983. p. B9. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Reagan, Ronald (November 2, 1983). . Reagan Library. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Senate Vote on School Prayer". The New York Times. March 16, 1984. p. B5. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Tolchin, Martin (March 21, 1984). "Amendment Drive on School Prayer Loses Senate Vote – 11 Short of Passing – Moderates in G.O.P. Join 26 Democrats Against Reagan's Proposal". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Senate's Roll Call on School Prayer". The New York Times. March 21, 1984. p. B7. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Leahy, Patrick (1999). "Senator Leahy's 10,000th vote". U.S. Government Publishing Office. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Leahy, Patrick J. (2022). The Road Taken: A Memoir (1st ed.). New York City: Simon and Schuster. p. 465. ISBN 978-1-9821-5735-7. OCLC 1265084645.
- ^ a b c Engelberg, Stephen (July 29, 1987). "Iran-Contra Hearings; Senator Leahy Says He Leaked Report of Panel". The New York Times. New York, NY. p. A1 – via TimesMachine.
- ^ Epstein, Aaron; ‘3 High Court Hopefuls Deemed OK’; The Miami Herald, October 28, 1987, p. 16
- ^ Yalof, David Alistair; Pursuit of Justices: Presidential Politics and the Selection of Supreme Court Nominees, p. 164 ISBN 9780226945460
- ^ "U.S. Withdraws a Plan to Ease Meat Inspections". The New York Times. May 21, 1989. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ La Ganga, Maria (May 9, 1990). "Sea of Confusion Over 'Fresh Fish' Definition : Food: Congress may intervene with bills to protect the seafood buyer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Landmines & Cluster Munitions". leahy.senate.gov. Office of Senator Patrick Leahy. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Craven, Jasper (July 13, 2014). "A Vermont senator's long battle against land mines". Rutland Herald. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ "Israeli compromise to get loans falls short of U.S. goal". The Pittsburgh Press. February 8, 1992.
- ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (February 8, 1992). "Israel Informs U.S. of Stand on Loans". The New York Times. p. 5. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (February 26, 1992). "Senators Press Baker on Israel Loan Guarantees". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Senate Roll-Call On Trade Pact". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 21, 1993. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Clinton Signs Free Trade Agreement". The New York Times. December 9, 1993. p. A20 – via TimesMachine.
- ^ Lee, Jill (March 8, 1994). "A nationwide food bank announced Tuesday it serves 26 ..." UPI. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Group urges new school food standards". UPI. August 30, 1994. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Stone, Andrea (January 19, 2003). "Republican Revolution Fades". USA Today. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Lewis, Anthony (November 25, 1994). "Abroad at Home; Thanks And Giving". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Nutting, Rex (December 6, 1994). "USDA to close 1,274 field offices". UPI. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Pear, Robert (April 26, 1994). "Senator, Promoting Student Nutrition, Battles Coca-Cola". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Beyers, Dan (October 14, 1996). "Soda Machines in Schools Open Up a Can of Worms". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Schmitt, Eric (October 14, 1999). "Senate Kills Test Ban Treaty in Crushing Loss for Clinton; Evokes Versailles Pact Defeat – Vote Is 1 to 48 – Last-Ditch Proposal to Put Off Action Fails Along Party Lines". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Dewar, Helen (October 14, 1999). "Senate Rejects Test Ban Treaty". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Delaney, Bill (October 22, 1998). "Fred Tuttle: One candidate hoping to lose this November". CNN. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Black, Jane (October 27, 1998). "Fred Tuttle: Man with a plan?". BBC News. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Johnston, David (December 14, 2006). "Panel to Focus on Civil Liberties". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Marquis, Christopher (September 13, 2002). "Vermont Senator Wants Study Of Terror Link to West Nile Virus". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Leahy: Surveillance needed within limits". UPI. July 1, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Gellman, Robert; Dixon, Pam (2011). Online Privacy: A Reference Handbook. ISBN 9781598846492. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ^ "Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001". fas.org. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ "House Judiciary Committee Asserts Jurisdiction Over "Anti-Leak" Provision". fas.org. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ "Sens. Leahy, Grassley, and Schumer Urge Deferral of New Leak Statute". fas.org. Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" for July 25. NBC News (July 26, 2007). Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ Dewar, Helen; Milbank, Dana (June 25, 2004). "Cheney Dismisses Critic With Obscenity". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ . Barre Montpelier Times Argus. December 10, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ "Have You Seen 'File 8'?: The Real-Life Spy Thriller Inside Patrick Leahy's Memoir". POLITICO. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ "FBI was reportedly warned agents were 'sympathetic' to Capitol rioters – as it happened". the Guardian. October 14, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Dean, Katie (July 23, 2004). "Techies Blast Induce Act". Wired. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ "CNN.com Election 2004". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Stout, David (July 27, 2005). "Leahy Warns Against 'Activist' Role for High Court Nominee". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Key Player: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt". PBS NewsHour. May 26, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Bernie Sanders' position on guns has changed. PolitiFact explores his history". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 109th Congress - 1st Session". www.senate.gov. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ . Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ . pogo.org. Project on Government Oversight. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. 'knew damn well' Arar would be tortured: senator". CBC News. January 18, 2007. from the original on November 13, 2012.
- ^ . 2008. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ Herszenhorn, David M.; Hulse, Carl (June 2, 2009). "Parties Plot Strategy as Sotomayor Visits Capitol". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Savage, Charlie (August 6, 2009). "Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68–31". The New York Times. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "S. 3804 (111th): Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act". GovTrack. September 20, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ Potter, Ned (January 17, 2012). "Wikipedia Blackout: Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to Protest SOPA, PIPA". ABC News. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ^ "Vermont's Leahy now 3rd in presidential succession". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. December 17, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ Raju, Manu (December 17, 2012). "Leahy will become president pro tempore of Senate". Politico. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Cox, Ramsey (February 20, 2013). "Senate Democrats want more data on hate crimes against Arab Americans". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ . CNN. June 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Sen. Patrick Leahy's 2013 Report Card". GovTrack. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
- ^ Jones, Athena; Walsh, Deirdre (January 20, 2015). "U.S. Congressional delegation travels to Cuba this weekend". CNN. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Zarif: We've never claimed nuclear deal only favors Iran". Tehran Times. July 22, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Vermont's Leahy, Sanders, Welch praise Iran nuclear deal". The Oklahoman. Associated Press. July 15, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Danielle (January 10, 2017). "Leahy questions Sessions over Trump's 'Access Hollywood' comments". CNN. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Nedig, Harper (April 6, 2017). "Senate Dems offer bill to restore internet privacy rules". The Hill. from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Kim, Seung Min (June 1, 2017). "Senate Dems: Sessions' testimony could be 'construed as perjury'". Politico. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Carney, Jordain (September 18, 2017). "Senate passes $700B defense bill". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Cortellessa, Eric (November 30, 2017). "Democratic senators urge Netanyahu not to raze Palestinian villages". The Times of Israel. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Senator Leahy to oppose another stopgap spending bill". Reuters. January 18, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ "Government shuts down on one-year anniversary of Trump presidency". CBS News. January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
- ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (January 22, 2018). "How senators voted to end the government shutdown". CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ Mitchell, Ellen (February 7, 2018). "Senate Dems demand answers on cost of Trump's military parade proposal". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Greenwood, Max (March 17, 2018). "Judiciary Dem calls for hearing on Trump's FBI attacks". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Swanson, Ian (September 12, 2018). "Senate approves first 2019 spending package". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Kheel, Rebecca (October 10, 2018). "Senators trigger law forcing Trump to probe Saudi journalist's disappearance". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Carney, Jordain (October 30, 2018). "Dem senators request classified briefing on Khashoggi". The Hill. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ Budryk, Zack (March 19, 2019). "Senate Dems petition Saudi king to release dissidents, US citizen". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Mitchell, Ellen (December 13, 2018). "Senate Dems urge Trump to continue nuclear arms control negotiations after treaty suspension". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Lundy, John (February 9, 2018). "Nolan won't seek re-election". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- ^ Burke, Michael (February 19, 2019). "Leahy endorses Sanders for president". The Hill. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ Everett, Burgess; Levine, Marianne (October 16, 2013). "Patrick Leahy signals he'll run for ninth Senate term". POLITICO. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ Estepa, Jessica. "Alaska's Don Young to become most senior member of Congress after Conyers' retirement". usatoday.com. Gannett. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Senate Democrats elect Chuck Schumer as their new leader". CBS News. November 16, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "PN2586—Patrick Leahy—United Nations, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". U.S. Congress. September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "108th Congress, 1st Session: On the Conference Report (S. 3 Conference Report)". senate.gov. United States Senate. 2003. from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ Views and voting record regarding abortion October 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine; The Political Guide; 2016
- ^ Weinraub, Bernard (March 11, 1982). "Abortion Curbs Endorsed, 10–7, By Senate Panel". The New York Times. p. A1. from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Tolchin, Martin (March 28, 1982). "Howard Baker Trying to Tame an Unruly Senate". The New York Times. p. 17 (New York Times Magazine). from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Collins joins two-party push for more local food in schools". WABI-TV. July 10, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Calls on Trump Administration to Implement Farm Bill Dairy Improvements for Wisconsin Dairy Farmers". Urban Milwaukee. April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Lane, Sylvia (May 30, 2019). "Democratic senators rip Trump administration's trade aid to foreign firms, demand a halt". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Menendez, Booker Join Call for Investigation at USDA amid Reports of Scientific Data Suppression". insidernj.com. June 26, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Neidig, Harper (June 21, 2019). "Senate Democrats press regulators over reported tech investigations". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Higdon, James (March 21, 2018). "Washington's Most Powerful Anti-Pot Official Is Named Sessions. It's Not Who You Think". Politico Magazine. from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ Kinzel, Bob (January 5, 2018). "Leahy To Trump Administration: Don't Threaten States That Legalize Marijuana". Vermont Public Radio. from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Helps Introduce Legislation to Ensure Child Care for All". Urban Milwaukee. March 1, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy On Falun Gong Congressional Record, September 12, 2019, retrieved September 3, 2021
- ^ "To restore statutory rights to the people of the United States from forced arbitration" (PDF). US Senate. February 4, 2016. (PDF) from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ Walker, Mandy (February 9, 2016). "Proposed Law Would Roll Back Mandatory Arbitration". Consumer Reports. from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Leahy, Patrick (February 4, 2016). "Statement of Senator Patrick Leahy" (PDF). US Senate. (PDF) from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Patrick Leahy on the Issues". On the Issues. from the original on August 28, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ Nasr, Amir (April 27, 2016). . Morning Consult. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Kawamoto, Dawn (April 28, 2016). . InformationWeek. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ McCabe, David (February 4, 2015). "Rand Paul revives mandatory sentencing reform bill". The Hill. from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Kim, Seung Min (October 4, 2017). "Senators unveil bipartisan criminal justice reform package". Politico. from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (July 31, 2019). "Booker, Durbin and Leahy introduce bill to ban death penalty". The Hill. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Blake, Aaron (June 24, 2013). "Leahy proposes new oversight of surveillance programs". The Washington Post. from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
- ^ Leahy, Patrick (May 18, 2013). "Leahy responds to Gitmo criticism". Brattleboro Reformer. from the original on May 19, 2013.
Mr. Evers and I agree that the status quo at Guantanamo is unacceptable. I was one of few in the Senate who strongly opposed the decision to open the prison a decade ago, and I continue to believe that the prison at Guantanamo must be closed. Mr. Evers apparently missed it, but my most recent statement about the need to close Guantanamo, two weeks ago, is on my website for all to see at leahy.senate.gov/press/gitmo. As I said in that statement, the Guantanamo prison is not necessary to keep America safe, it contradicts our most basic principles of justice, and it undermines our national security.
- ^ Leahy, Patrick (April 30, 2013). "Comment Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman, Senate Committee On The Judiciary, On The President's Remarks Tuesday On Guantanamo Bay". leahy.senate.gov. Office of Senator Patrick Leahy. from the original on March 1, 2014.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) issued the following comment Tuesday after President Barack Obama reiterated his position that the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be closed—a view that Leahy has long shared.
- ^ Congress.gov, S.119 – War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007, 110th Congress (2007–2008), introduced into Senate on April 1, 2007, accessed February 12, 2021
- ^ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress – 1st Session: On the Amendment (McConnell Amdt. No. 183)". senate.gov. from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Detail for 2013 Senate Roll Call Vote 59 | Voter Information Services – vote wisely, live better". vis.org. from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress – 1st Session: On the Motion (Motion to Waive CBA Re: Blunt Amdt. No. 261)". senate.gov. from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 114th Congress – 1st Session: On the Joint Resolution (S.J.Res. 23)". senate.gov. from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Climate Change". leahy.senate.gov. Office Senator Patrick Leahy. from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Vt. officials: Climate decision 'travesty', 'disgrace', 'stunning rejection of science'". The Burlington Free Press. June 1, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Cama, Timothy (February 1, 2019). "Senators call on EPA to restrict key drinking water contaminants". The Hill. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Henry, Devin (October 13, 2016). "Sanders, Dem senators press Obama to halt ND pipeline". The Hill. from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Tolchin, Martin (March 20, 1984). "Close Senate Vote Expected on Prayer in Schools". The New York Times. p. A19. from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Helps Introduce Background Check Expansion Act To Reduce Gun Violence". Urban Milwaukee. January 9, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (March 6, 2019). "Senate Dems call for hearing on universal background checks bill". The Hill. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Mears, Bill (May 15, 2012). "Leahy urges high court to 'do the right thing', keep health care law". CNN. from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Welch, Sanders and Leahy respond to defeat of health care bill". USA Today. March 24, 2017. from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Calls on Trump Administration to Stop Pushing Health Insurance Plans that Weaken Pre-Existing Condition Protections". Urban Milwaukee. December 20, 2018. from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Helps Reintroduce Legislation to Create State Public Health Care Option". Urban Milwaukee. February 15, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Kopan, Tal (February 26, 2018). "Court takes pressure off already sputtering Congress on DACA". CNN. from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Kheel, Rebecca (June 22, 2018). "Senators 'deeply troubled' military lawyers being used for immigration cases". The Hill. from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Weixel, Nathaniel (August 15, 2018). "Senate Dems demand immediate reunification of remaining separated children". The Hill. from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Klein, Betsy; Kopan, Tal (September 12, 2018). "FEMA says funding transferred to ICE for detention centers won't harm hurricane response". CNN. from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Bernal, Rafael (January 22, 2019). "Senate Dems introduces bill to keep DACA info private". The Hill. from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Domingo, Ida (July 11, 2019). "Senate Democrats to Trump: don't deport military families". WSET-TV. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Samuels, Brett (May 7, 2018). "Senate Dems urge Trump to remain in Iran deal ahead of announcement". The Hill. from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Ravid, Barak (August 16, 2011). "U.S. Senator Seeks to Cut Aid to Elite IDF Units Operating in West Bank and Gaza". Haaretz. from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- ^ Toosi, Nahal (March 29, 2016). "Leahy asked State Department to investigate suspected Israeli human rights violations". Politico. from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- ^ "Six Democrats introduce Senate bill to restore humanitarian aid to Palestinians". The Times of Israel. April 19, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ "Democratic senators release letter warning Israel against annexation". Jewish Insider. May 21, 2020.
- ^ "Baldwin, Democratic Senators Call TrumpCare Disastrous for Battle Against Opioid Crisis". Urban Milwaukee. March 21, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jesus (October 11, 2018). "Democratic senators demand Pompeo reverse visa denials for LGBTQ diplomats' partners". Politico. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Barrett, Ted (June 4, 2018). "Democrats warn Trump on North Korea deal". CNN. from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Soga, Aki (June 13, 2018). "Trump-Kim summit: Leahy, Welch doubtful on N. Korean denuclearization". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Memmott, Mark (December 22, 2010). "Senate Ratifies START". NPR. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ Baker, Peter (December 22, 2010). "Senate Passes Arms Control Treaty With Russia, 71–26". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Hensch, Mark (February 15, 2017). "Dem senators call for independent Flynn probe". The Hill. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ "Biden sparks bipartisan backlash on Afghanistan withdrawal". The Hill. April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Coburn, Leahy among Jefferson winners". Politico. Associated Press. June 19, 2013.
- ^ "Leahy nets first award for social media use in Congress". Vermont Digger. April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Patrick Leahy '61". Alumni Profiles. Colchester, VT: Saint Michael's College. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "DOE JGI Director honored by Middlebury College". News & Publications. Berkeley, CA: U.S. department of Energy Joint Genome Institute. May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Leahy to address first class to graduate from Albany College of Pharmacy's Colchester campus". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT. May 16, 2013.
- ^ Free Press Staff (May 14, 2014). "Eight higher-ed commencements Saturday". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT.
- ^ a b c d "Sen. Leahy and wife, Marcelle, celebrate 50 years". Bennington Banner. Bennington, VT. Associated Press. August 27, 2012.
- ^ a b c Leahy, Patrick (June 25, 2013). "Leahy: A Vermonter's perspectives on immigration, family values and American values". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
- ^ Wertlieb, Mitch; Zind, Steve; Epp, Henry (February 9, 2018). "Antonio Pomerleau, Vermont Philanthropist, Dies At 100". Vermont Public Radio. Colchester, VT.
- ^ Axelrod, Tal (January 26, 2021). "Sen. Patrick Leahy Taken to Hospital". The Hill. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ Foran, Clare; Kelly, Caroline (January 26, 2021). "Sen. Patrick Leahy Home from Brief Hospitalization After Presiding Over Opening of Trump's Impeachment Trial". CNN. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ Lerman, David (June 30, 2022). "Leahy recovering from hip replacement surgery". Roll Call. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Leahy returns to hospital for 2nd hip operation". WCAX. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ "Sen. Leahy out of hospital, plans to return to Vermont". Associated Press. October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ "The Road taken - A Memoir". Kirkus Reviews. New York City. July 1, 2022. ISSN 1948-7428. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
A skillfully spun memoir that shows how politics is—or at least should be—conducted.
- ^ Simon, Roger (August 1, 2007). "Leahy attacks Bush, Roberts". Politico. from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
Instead, it contains pictures that Leahy, a published photographer, has taken. The centerpiece—placed, Leahy says, so he can stare into it every day from his desk—is a haunting one of a man he met in a refugee camp in El Salvador in 1982.
- ^ a b Friedman, Jeanette (October 27, 2010). . Politics Daily. Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
- ^ Cooper, Matthew (March 1996). "Hollywood, D.C." Los Angeles. p. 70.
Vermont senator Patrick Leahy filmed a cameo appearance in Batman Forever;
- ^ a b Heintz, Paul (July 11, 2012). "Fair Game: Holy Cash, Batman!". Seven Days.
Warner Bros has cast the caped crusader aficionado in four films, from 1995's Batman Forever to the brand-new The Dark Knight Rises. According to a Leahy staffer, Warner Bros. paid the senator $10,000 in royalties over the years, all of which he's donated to Kellogg-Hubbard, his boyhood library. A 2008 Montpelier screening of The Dark Knight raised nearly $100,000 for the library, which named a wing after Leahy.
- ^ Belluck, Pam (July 12, 2008). "Holy Cameo, Batman! It's a Senator!". The New York Times. from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- ^ McDevitt, Caitlin (July 3, 2012). "Leahy making another 'Dark Knight' cameo". Politico. from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
The Vermont Democrat, who's a big Batman fan, also made an appearance in 'The Dark Knight' a few years ago. In the scene, the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, holds Leahy at knifepoint.
- ^ Affleck, Ben (March 26, 2015). "Opening Statement, Senate hearing on diplomacy". C-SPAN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
- ^ Cohn, Alicia M. (July 3, 2012). "Senator Leahy has Speaking Role in Upcoming Batman Film". The Hill. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
- ^ Cavna, Michael (March 13, 2019). "Sen. Patrick Leahy was in 5 Batman movies. Now he's written the foreword for the superhero's 80th anniversary". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Yaws, Jay (January 22, 2021). "Tracking Senator Patrick Leahy's Batman film cameos". Batman News. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
It's a 'blink and you'll miss it' appearance, so much so that nobody seems to have any good screengrabs anywhere.
- ^ Snow, Sara (May 21, 2022). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Batman: The Animated Series". CBR. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Heil, Emily (March 24, 2016). "How two senators scored cameos in 'Batman v Superman'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Douglas, James H. (1989). Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. p. 135 – via Google Books.
- ^ "1980 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1980 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1986 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1986 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1992 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1992 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1998 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "1998 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "2004 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "2004 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "2010 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "2010 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "2016 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "2016 U.S. Senate General Election". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
Further reading
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
External links
Patrick Leahy
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Patrick Leahy at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN