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Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., was named to two Senate leadership posts in organizational meetings this week. He is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee and chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife.“Since joining the Judiciary Committee two years ago, Senator Cardin has been one of our most active members,” said Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., according to a statement.

Cardin was appointed chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission in January and has been active in issues relating to national security and foreign relations since joining the Senate in 2007 and during his 20 years prior as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Our top priority in Congress is to protect the American people. We must make sure that our law enforcement and intelligence professionals have the tools they need at their disposal to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks,” Cardin said, while also indicating that this priority must be balanced against protecting civil liberties.

Cardin plans to lead the committee toward renewing parts of the Patriot Act that are set to expire and in reviewing the White House policy toward detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, also praised Cardin's leadership.

"I am so pleased to name one of the Chesapeake Bay's strongest champions," to the chairmanship  of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, she said. Cardin "has always been a leader in ensuring our drinking water is safe, restoring the health of America's waters and protecting our wildlife and their habitats."

-By Capital News Service's Maren Wright