The Senate Judiciary Committee has been the nexus for Democratic efforts to combat what it argues is a Supreme Court run amok, amid myriad reports of lavish gifts and vacations fueling questions about judicial impartiality for multiple conservative justices over the past year and a half.
Heading up that operation for Chair Dick Durbin is Joe Zogby, who has been at the Illinois Democrat’s side for more than two decades.
The Philadelphia native said the committee and his loyalty to Durbin is what has kept him going.
“I love the work. I love the committee,” Zogby told The Hill, describing it as “the nexus of policy and the law.”
“The work is always interesting. I never have a boring day in this job. … For a lawyer and a policy nerd, it’s endlessly interesting and stimulating.”
Zogby runs the show for Democrats on the panel, which has been front and center over the past two years. Look no further than Durbin and the committee’s push to overhaul ethics for Supreme Court justices and the intense push to confirm judges under President Biden.
However, there’s also key bipartisan work that’s gone through the panel, including a bill to boost internet safety for kids and, most recently, a probe into the assassination attempt against former President Trump.
Democrats on the panel laud Zogby for being a prime advocate for his longtime boss and his interests, and for what they describe as a tireless work ethic. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joked that Zogby has the tough job, as “we all get to go home.”
“That’s a really hard job, and the issues are very complex from a legal standpoint,” Welch said. “The land mines are everywhere, the personalities are wild and he’s calm and focused, and I find him extraordinarily helpful.”