Durbin, Duckworth back Gilmore as Senate panel advances U.S. Attorney nomination

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 20-2 on Feb. 27 to advance President Biden’s nomination of Gregory M. Gilmore to be U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, sending the nomination to a full Senate vote. The two committee no votes were Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Gilmore has served as the district’s acting U.S. Attorney since the retirement of U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris last year, with a more specific start date recorded in January 2025. He has been the Central District’s first assistant U.S. attorney since 2021 and previously held supervisory roles inside the office. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Gilmore “has been a federal prosecutor for more than 30 years, held several key positions in the U.S. Attorney’s office. We have a nonpartisan group that gives us recommendations for nominations in the Central district of Illinois. They believe he’s ready for this assignment and I do, too.”

Gilmore’s record in the office includes work across a variety of criminal prosecutions and more than two dozen jury trials, with sources reporting he has tried over 25 cases to jury verdict. Durbin and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois provided so-called blue slips endorsing Gilmore before the formal nomination, a Senate tradition that signals home-state senators’ approval.

Durbin and Duckworth established three screening committees earlier this year composed of former judges, prosecutors, defenders, litigators, academics, legal aid attorneys, and law enforcement leaders to review candidates for U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal posts in Illinois. The screening committees reviewed professional records, application questionnaires, contacted references, conducted interviews, and submitted recommendations to the senators; Durbin and Duckworth then interviewed finalists. Durbin also said the White House and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood were consulted on the Gilmore nomination.

A Durbin Senate statement reproduced in a separate public release included the text: “With more than 25 years of experience working in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District, Greg Harris will be ready to hit the ground running on day one. He is exceptionally well-qualified and we expect him to be a diligent, thoughtful, and principled U.S. Attorney. We look forward to ensuring a fair and swift confirmation process in the Senate.” That statement names Greg Harris and cites 25 years, differing in name and years from other statements that refer to Gregory M. Gilmore and more than 30 years of service.

The Central District of Illinois covers 46 counties, including Bloomington-Normal and Peoria, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office there handles federal prosecutions and civil litigation across that territory. With the Judiciary Committee’s 20-2 vote, Gilmore’s nomination will be placed on the Senate’s calendar for a full confirmation vote, which will determine who leads federal prosecutions in those 46 counties.