The Center for Public Integrity

Longtime liberal stalwart Patrick Leahy of Vermont will continue to be a crucial figure in shaping the future path of the Supreme Court as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel has sway over judicial nominations to any federal court, as well as oversight responsibilities for the agencies at the center of the nation’s anti-terror battle: the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Veteran Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin assumed the chairmanship of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in 2009 following the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy. Harkin became an instrumental force in crafting the massive health care reform legislation that passed last year and he will undoubtedly be a key player in overseeing how the legislation is implemented, or altered, in the coming months.