The retirement of Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-ranked Democrat in the upper chamber, is likely to usher in a new era of confrontation on the prominent Judiciary Committee.

Political battles waged over the nation’s court system and presidential judicial nominees often begin on the panel. And the decision by Durbin, its top Democrat, to end his decadeslong political career at the end of his fifth term opens the door in 2027 for a more liberal replacement than the mild-mannered Illinois senator.

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