United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary - wikipedia United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Senate Judiciary Committee Standing committee Active United States Senate 115th Congress History Formed December 10, 1816 Leadership Chair Chuck Grassley ( R ) Since January 3, 2015 Ranking member Dianne Feinstein ( D ) Since January 3, 2017 Structure Seats 21 members Political parties Majority ( 11 ) Republican ( 11 ) Minority ( 10 ) Democratic ( 10 ) Jurisdiction Policy areas Federal judiciary, civil procedure, criminal procedure, civil liberties, copyrights, patents, trademarks, naturalization, constitutional amendments, congressional apportionment, state and territorial boundary lines Oversight authority Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, federal judicial nominations House counterpart House Committee on the Judiciary Meeting place 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. Website judiciary.senate.gov Rules Rule XXV. 1. ( m ), Standing Rules of the Senate Rules of Procedure U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Sonia Sotomayor testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on her nomination for the United States Supreme Court The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 21 U.S. Senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice ( DOJ ), consider executive nominations, and review pending legislation. The Judiciary Committee 's oversight of the DOJ includes all of the agencies under the DOJ 's jurisdiction, such as the FBI. It also has oversight of the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ). The Committee considers presidential nominations for positions in the DOJ, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the State Justice Institute, and certain positions in the Department of Commerce and DHS. It is also in charge of holding hearings and investigating judicial nominations to the Supreme Court, the U.S. court of appeals, the U.S. district courts, and the Court of International Trade. The Standing Rules of the Senate confer jurisdiction to the Senate Judiciary Committee in certain areas, such as considering proposed constitutional amendments and legislation related to federal criminal law, human rights law, immigration, intellectual property, antitrust law, and internet privacy. Contents 1 History 2 Members, 115th Congress 3 Historical membership 3.1 Members, 114th Congress 4 Current subcommittees 5 Chair since 1816 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Established in 1816 as one of the original standing committees in the United States Senate, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary is one of the oldest and most influential committees in Congress. Its broad legislative jurisdiction has assured its primary role as a forum for the public discussion of social and constitutional issues. The Committee is also responsible for oversight of key activities of the executive branch, and is responsible for the initial stages of the confirmation process of all judicial nominations for the federal judiciary. Members, 115th Congress Majority Minority Chuck Grassley, Iowa, Chairman Orrin Hatch, Utah Lindsey Graham, South Carolina John Cornyn, Texas Mike Lee, Utah Ted Cruz, Texas Ben Sasse, Nebraska Jeff Flake, Arizona Mike Crapo, Idaho Thom Tillis, North Carolina John Kennedy, Louisiana Dianne Feinstein, California, Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, Vermont Dick Durbin, Illinois Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Chris Coons, Delaware Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Mazie Hirono, Hawaii Cory Booker, New Jersey ( from January 9, 2018 ) Kamala Harris, California ( from January 9, 2018 ) Al Franken, Minnesota ( until January 2, 2018 ) Republican Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley, has been Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 2015. In January 2018, the Democratic minority had their number of seats increase from 9 to 10 upon the election of Doug Jones ( D - AL ), changing the 52 -- 48 Republican majority to 51 -- 49. On January 2, 2018, Al Franken, who had been a member of the committee, resigned from the Senate following accusations of sexual misconduct. Historical membership Members, 114th Congress Majority Minority Chuck Grassley, Iowa, Chairman Orrin Hatch, Utah Jeff Sessions, Alabama Lindsey Graham, South Carolina John Cornyn, Texas Mike Lee, Utah Ted Cruz, Texas Jeff Flake, Arizona David Vitter, Louisiana David Perdue, Georgia Thom Tillis, North Carolina Patrick Leahy, Vermont, Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, California Chuck Schumer, New York Dick Durbin, Illinois Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Al Franken, Minnesota Chris Coons, Delaware Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Source : 2013 Congressional Record, Vol. 159, Page S296 to 297 Current subcommittees Subcommittee Chair Ranking member Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Mike Lee ( R - UT ) Amy Klobuchar ( D - MN ) The Constitution Ted Cruz ( R - TX ) Richard Blumenthal ( D - CT ) Crime and Terrorism Lindsey Graham ( R - SC ) Sheldon Whitehouse ( D - RI ) Border Security and Immigration John Cornyn ( R - TX ) Dick Durbin ( D - IL ) Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts Ben Sasse ( R - NE ) Chris Coons ( D - DE ) Privacy, Technology, and the Law Jeff Flake ( R - AZ ) Chris Coons ( D - DE ) Chair since 1816 Chair Party State Years Dudley Chase Democratic - Republican Vermont 1816 -- 1817 John J. Crittenden Democratic - Republican Kentucky 1817 -- 1818 James Burrill, Jr. Federalist Rhode Island 1818 -- 1820 William Smith Democratic - Republican South Carolina 1819 -- 1823 Martin Van Buren Democratic - Republican New York 1823 -- 1828 John M. Berrien Jacksonian Georgia 1828 -- 1829 John Rowan Democratic - Republican Kentucky 1829 -- 1831 William L. Marcy Jacksonian New York 1831 -- 1832 William Wilkins Jacksonian Pennsylvania 1832 -- 1833 John M. Clayton Anti-Jacksonian Delaware 1833 -- 1836 Felix Grundy Jacksonian Tennessee 1836 -- 1838 Garret D. Wall Democratic New Jersey 1838 -- 1841 John M. Berrien Whig Georgia 1841 -- 1845 Chester Ashley Democratic Arkansas 1845 -- 1847 Andrew P. Butler Democratic South Carolina 1847 -- 1857 James A. Bayard, Jr. Democratic Delaware 1857 -- 1861 Lyman Trumbull Republican Illinois 1861 -- 1872 George G. Wright Republican Iowa 1872 George F. Edmunds Republican Vermont 1872 -- 1879 Allen G. Thurman Democratic Ohio 1879 -- 1881 George F. Edmunds Republican Vermont 1881 -- 1891 George Frisbie Hoar Republican Massachusetts 1891 -- 1893 James L. Pugh Democratic Alabama 1893 -- 1895 George Frisbie Hoar Republican Massachusetts 1895 -- 1904 Orville H. Platt Republican Connecticut 1904 -- 1905 Clarence D. Clark Republican Wyoming 1905 -- 1912 Charles Allen Culberson Democratic Texas 1912 -- 1919 Knute Nelson Republican Minnesota 1919 -- 1923 Frank B. Brandegee Republican Connecticut 1923 -- 1924 Albert B. Cummins Republican Iowa 1924 -- 1926 George William Norris Republican Nebraska 1926 -- 1933 Henry F. Ashurst Democratic Arizona 1933 -- 1941 Frederick Van Nuys Democratic Indiana 1941 -- 1945 Pat McCarran Democratic Nevada 1945 -- 1947 Alexander Wiley Republican Wisconsin 1947 -- 1949 Pat McCarran Democratic Nevada 1949 -- 1953 William Langer Republican North Dakota 1953 -- 1955 Harley M. Kilgore Democratic West Virginia 1955 -- 1956 James Eastland Democratic Mississippi 1956 -- 1978 Edward M. Kennedy Democratic Massachusetts 1978 -- 1981 Strom Thurmond Republican South Carolina 1981 -- 1987 Joe Biden Democratic Delaware 1987 -- 1995 Orrin Hatch Republican Utah 1995 -- 2001 Patrick Leahy Democratic Vermont 2001 Orrin Hatch Republican Utah 2001 Patrick Leahy Democratic Vermont 2001 -- 2003 Orrin Hatch Republican Utah 2003 -- 2005 Arlen Specter Republican Pennsylvania 2005 -- 2007 Patrick Leahy Democratic Vermont 2007 -- 2015 Chuck Grassley Republican Iowa 2015 -- present See also United States House Committee on the Judiciary List of current United States Senate committees References ^ Jump up to : `` Jurisdiction ''. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved 11 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Senate Committee on the Judiciary ''. GovTrack. Retrieved 11 January 2018. Jump up ^ `` Guide to Senate Records : Chapter 13 Judiciary 1947 - 1968 ''. National Archives. 2016 - 08 - 15. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 07. Jump up ^ `` History United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary ''. www.judiciary.senate.gov. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 07. Jump up ^ When the Senate convened in January 2001 17 days before President George W. Bush was inaugurated, there was a 50 -- 50 split between Democrats and Republicans with Vice President Al Gore as a tiebreaking vote. Jump up ^ In June 2001, Republican Jim Jeffords declared himself an Independent and caucused with the Democrats, giving the Democrats majority control. External links United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Official Website ( Archive ) Senate Judiciary Committee. Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov. Current United States congressional committees Senate ( list ) Aging ( Special ) Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, and Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Ethics ( Select ) Finance Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Indian Affairs Intelligence ( Select ) Judiciary Narcotics ( Caucus ) Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans ' Affairs House ( list ) Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education and the Workforce Energy and Commerce Ethics Financial Services Foreign Affairs Homeland Security House Administration Intelligence ( Permanent Select ) Judiciary Natural Resources Oversight and Government Reform Rules Science, Space, and Technology Small Business Transportation and Infrastructure Veterans ' Affairs Ways and Means ( Whole ) Joint ( list ) Budget and Appropriations Process Reform ( Select ) Economic Inaugural Ceremonies ( Special ) Library Printing Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans ( Select ) Taxation ( Conference ) Standing committees, Defunct committees Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Senate_Committee_on_the_Judiciary&oldid=863097623 '' Categories : Committees of the United States Senate United States law 1816 establishments in Washington, D.C. Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from February 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Français 한국어 Português Türkçe 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 October 2018, at 18 : 07 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: who is the ranking member of the senate judicial committee
Answer: Dianne Feinstein