Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said Garland will be charged with restoring independence and integrity to the Justice Department after four years of the Trump administration.
Durbin chairs the Judiciary Committee. Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley signaled little opposition to Garland's confirmation as attorney general and called the judge a "good pick." Judge Garland never got a confirmation hearing when President Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court in 2016. Senate Republican leaders blocked his nomination, arguing that high court vacancies should not be filled during presidential election years. However, Republicans pushed through a Supreme Court confirmation last year. That happened only weeks before the presidential election. Garland is a U.S. appeals court judge in Washington, DC.