Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., used his opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing Wednesday to sharply criticize President Trump's attacks on judges and what he described as a demand for political loyalty from the courts.

Durbin said Trump had made his expectations of the judiciary explicit.

President Trump has made it clear he believes judges appointed by him should be reliable votes for his MAGA agenda. He said, and I quote, it's really okay for them to be loyal to the person that appointed them. Most judges, whether appointed by Republican or Democratic presidents, recognize that the rule of law is paramount to any political agenda.

Richard J. Durbin at the hearing, saying the words quoted above. Captions from the auto-transcript.

Durbin said Trump had gone further by publicly attacking judges who ruled against him, using language the senator described as extraordinary.

When judges don't rule his way, President Trump, the President of the United States, attacks him, calling them, quote, rogue judges that are criminals, the words of the President, and demanding that Republicans pass a, quote, tough crime bill that cracks down on rogue judges.

He argued the administration had set a new standard for nominees, going beyond ideological considerations.

For President Trump, it's not enough that a judicial nominee be a principled conservative. Nominees must now demonstrate fealty to him and his MAGA agenda.

Durbin questioned the qualifications of some nominees before the committee, saying one had limited experience, and argued Trump's overriding concern was elsewhere.

That is not a matter of concern to the president. He only cares if they will be loyal.Verify · 7:32

He pointed to Judge Timothy Kelly — a Trump appointee who ordered the White House to restore press credentials — as an example of a jurist whom Trump had labeled disloyal for ruling against him. Durbin also cited what he called an unprecedented pattern of the Trump administration defying court orders, referencing a finding that ICE had violated hundreds of orders in Minnesota alone.

I've been in Congress for a few years. I've heard comments on judges, but none as blatant politically as these.Verify · 8:20

Durbin closed his remarks by setting out his standard for questioning the day's nominees.

I look forward to questioning the nominees today to understand if their loyalty is going to be to the president and his agenda or to the rule of law and the Constitution. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, had opened the hearing by praising the nominees' backgrounds and introducing Judge Rudofsky, nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. After Durbin concluded, Grassley indicated he was prepared to respond — not on the nominees, but on the prior day's hearing involving special counsel Jack Smith.