![Chairman Leahy](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090813000558im_/http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/images/072407JudiciaryHearing2L.jpg)
Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont
Patrick J. Leahy of Middlesex, Vermont, was elected to the United States Senate in 1974. Leahy is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a position he has held since January 2007. He also served as Chairman from June 2001 through January 2003
A graduate of Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont (1961), he received his Juris Doctor fromAs Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Leahy is a major force in the myriad issues the committee handles. He is a key advocate for government transparency and for the public’s right to know. A former prosecutor, he is a champion for those serving in law enforcement, for first responders, and for the victims of crime. In 2007, he introduced and guided to passage the OPEN Government Act. The law imposes real consequences on Federal agencies for missing the 20-day statutory deadline for Freedom of Information requests, and established a new agency to oversee and ensure government FOIA requests and policy.
Leahy is a longtime protector of civil liberties. Leahy authored and advocated legislation to restore the right to habeas corpus for all Americans, a right that was stripped in the 2006 Military Commissions Act. He has spoken out in the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was wrongfully detained by
Leahy is a leader in enacting laws to protect privacy rights, copyright protections and freedom of speech on the Internet. He is the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus. He is a leader on several privacy issues, including Internet and medical records privacy. Leahy held Congress’s first hearing in 1994 on privacy concerns relating to electronic medical records.
Leahy is the chief sponsor of the Innocence Protection Act, which addresses flaws in the administration of capital punishment. Parts of Leahy's death penalty reform package, which were enacted in 2004, will reduce the risks that innocent people are executed by providing for post-conviction DNA testing and better access to competent legal counsel.
As a senior member of the Senate, Leahy is one of few Senators to have voted on the confirmation of every sitting member of the current Supreme Court. During his time as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Leahy has overseen the confirmation of hundreds of judicial and executive nominations.
Patrick Leahy has been married to Marcelle Pomerleau Leahy since 1962. They have a daughter, two sons, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and five grandchildren. The Leahys live on a tree farm in