Senate confirms Merrick Garland to be US attorney general
3 years, 9 months ago

Senate confirms Merrick Garland to be US attorney general

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Merrick Garland on Wednesday to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote, placing the widely-respected, veteran judge in the post as President Joe Biden has vowed to restore the Justice Department’s reputation for independence. “After Donald Trump spent four years — four long years — subverting the powers of the Justice Department for his own political benefit, treating the attorney general like his own personal defense lawyer, America can breathe a sigh of relief that we’re going to have someone like Merrick Garland leading the Justice Department,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ahead of the vote. “Let’s hope our incoming attorney general applies that no-nonsense approach to the serious challenges facing the Department of Justice and our nation,” McConnell said. That expected shift prompted some Republicans to oppose Garland’s nomination, including Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who said he believed the judge would be too soft on criminals and immigrants and “empower left wing radicals embedded inside the department.” At his confirmation hearing, Garland emphasized his commitment to combating racial discrimination in policing, telling senators that said America doesn’t “yet have equal justice.” He also said he’d prioritize confronting the rise in extremist violence and domestic terror threats.

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History of this topic

President-elect Trump widely expected to shut down legal cases against him
1 month, 2 weeks ago

President-elect Trump widely expected to shut down legal cases against him

Salon  

Once President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House next year, he will have the power to summarily dismiss the the remaining legal cases arrayed against him — and has said he would use that power. With control of the Justice Department, Trump can fire special counsel Jack Smith, who is managing two federal cases against Trump: one regarding the then-president's …

Biden's attorney general wanted to return to normal order; it hasn't been easy
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Biden's attorney general wanted to return to normal order; it hasn't been easy

NPR  

Biden's attorney general wanted to return to normal order; it hasn't been easy toggle caption Samuel Corum/Getty Images The day after rioters ransacked the U.S. Capitol and interrupted the peaceful transfer of power, the new president-elect unveiled his choice to lead the Justice Department. Sponsor Message “He’s really the consummate institutionalist,” said Alex Aronson, a former Justice Department lawyer and …

Democrats Are Already Buzzing About a Merrick Garland Successor
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Democrats Are Already Buzzing About a Merrick Garland Successor

Politico  

“My assumption is that members of the cabinet and sub-cabinet will move on and that, if Kamala is elected, she will want to put in her own team,” said former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, who has known Garland since they attended college together and brought him in as a senior official to the Clinton Justice Department. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty …

Justice Department won't pursue contempt charges against Garland
6 months, 1 week ago

Justice Department won't pursue contempt charges against Garland

NPR  

Justice Department won't pursue contempt charges against Garland toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The Justice Department has declined to pursue a criminal case against Attorney General Merrick Garland, just days after House Republicans voted to hold him in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena for audiotapes of President Biden. That’s in line with how the Justice Department handled two previous …

House votes to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for withholding Biden audio
6 months, 1 week ago

House votes to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for withholding Biden audio

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case, Republicans’ latest and strongest rebuke of the Justice Department as partisan conflict over the rule of law animates the 2024 presidential campaign. Garland has defended the Justice Department, …

AG Garland slams attacks on the DOJ during congressional testimony
6 months, 3 weeks ago

AG Garland slams attacks on the DOJ during congressional testimony

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland rebuked Republicans Tuesday for what he described as unprecedented attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers who have sought to hold him in contempt that he will “not be intimidated.” Appearing before a House panel led by allies of Donald Trump, Garland condemned as a “conspiracy theory” the claim that the department was behind …

Attorney General Merrick Garland faces grilling on Trump's 'political' criminal verdict and the Biden classified documents probe: Here's how he could hit back
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Attorney General Merrick Garland faces grilling on Trump's 'political' criminal verdict and the Biden classified documents probe: Here's how he could hit back

Daily Mail  

Attorney General Merrick Garland will take the hot seat during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday where he's expected to face a grilling over the Trump conviction and refusing to release audio from President Biden's special counsel interview. It's the top Justice Department official's first time facing lawmakers since a jury found Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying …

Justice Department blasts GOP effort to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden audio
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Justice Department blasts GOP effort to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden audio

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Monday blasted Republicans’ effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt over his refusal to turn over unredacted materials related to the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte, the Justice Department’s head of congressional affairs, said in the letter to Reps. James Comer …

Republicans threaten to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden documents case
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Republicans threaten to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden documents case

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — House Republicans threatened to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress if he did not turn over unredacted materials related to the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. “The Attorney General released Mr. Hur’s report to Congress and made no redactions or changes, the Department provided documents to Congress including a …

US attorney general rejects Republicans’ political influence accusations
1 year, 3 months ago

US attorney general rejects Republicans’ political influence accusations

Al Jazeera  

Merrick Garland says politics has no influence on Justice Department amid Donald Trump indictments, Hunter Biden probe. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has denied that politics has any influence on investigative decisions, as he faced Republican lawmakers who have accused the Justice Department of unjustly “targeting” former President Donald Trump. Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, Garland …

Garland says Justice Department ‘will not be intimidated’ in testimony to House committee
1 year, 3 months ago

Garland says Justice Department ‘will not be intimidated’ in testimony to House committee

LA Times  

Gen. Merrick Garland stressed his independence from the White House and Congress during a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. The Justice Department works for the American people.” Garland appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for what would normally be a routine oversight hearing focused on policy, crime and department initiatives, but was instead expected to serve …

Biden's relationship with his AG Merrick Garland is now in 'DEEP FREEZE' because White House 'thinks tough probes into Hunter and classified documents are unfair'
1 year, 3 months ago

Biden's relationship with his AG Merrick Garland is now in 'DEEP FREEZE' because White House 'thinks tough probes into Hunter and classified documents are unfair'

Daily Mail  

Joe Biden's relationship with his attorney general, Merrick Garland, is so icy it is 'in the deep freeze', according to a report on Saturday. Biden and his aides are infuriated by Garland's decision to appoint special counsels to investigate both Biden's handling of classified documents, and his son Hunter's business affairs. Relations between the two men are now said to …

Justice Department faces biggest test in its history with election conspiracy case against Trump
1 year, 4 months ago

Justice Department faces biggest test in its history with election conspiracy case against Trump

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — When the Justice Department was announcing the highest-profile prosecution in its history in Washington, Attorney General Merrick Garland was 100 miles away, meeting with local police in Philadelphia. President Joe Biden has sought to distance himself from the Justice Department to avoid any appearance of meddling when the agency is not only probing Trump, but also the president’s …

Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation
1 year, 6 months ago

Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive. Weiss never made such a request, Garland said Friday, and always had full authority to file charges wherever and however he saw fit against …

‘At earliest convenience, to discuss injustice’: Trump lawyers write letter to meet Attorney General Garland
1 year, 7 months ago

‘At earliest convenience, to discuss injustice’: Trump lawyers write letter to meet Attorney General Garland

Hindustan Times  

Lawyers for Donald Trump on Tuesday asked to meet US Attorney General Merrick Garland over the work of a special counsel who is handling two investigations into the former president. Garland appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith in November to handle the two Trump investigations. The first investigation is looking into attempts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power following …

Trump lawyers seek meeting with Garland as Mar-a-Lago investigation shows signs of winding down
1 year, 7 months ago

Trump lawyers seek meeting with Garland as Mar-a-Lago investigation shows signs of winding down

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Donald Trump on Tuesday asked for a meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland as a Justice Department investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents shows signs of winding down. In the letter, which Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, attorneys John Rowley and James Trusty asserted that Trump is “being treated unfairly” and …

A would-be justice makes his Supreme Court debut
3 years ago

A would-be justice makes his Supreme Court debut

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Merrick Garland finally made his Supreme Court debut on Tuesday. The onetime high court nominee was there to take part in a tradition that dates back more than 200 years: to be introduced to the justices as the nation’s attorney general. Garland entered the courtroom shortly before arguments began at 10 a.m. accompanied by Elizabeth Prelogar, the Biden …

Column: Merrick Garland can’t avoid investigating Trump-era abuses now
3 years, 6 months ago

Column: Merrick Garland can’t avoid investigating Trump-era abuses now

LA Times  

Merrick Garland made it clear at his confirmation hearings that he was determined to be consummately apolitical as attorney general. The reports of Trump Justice Department subpoenas aimed at the phone and email records of journalists and perceived adversaries — including Rep. Adam B. Schiff, Eric Swalwell and even White House counsel Don McGahn — are the latest shocks that …

Garland vows return to ‘normal’ Justice Dept. on 1st day
3 years, 9 months ago

Garland vows return to ‘normal’ Justice Dept. on 1st day

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Taking the reins at the Justice Department, Attorney General Merrick Garland sought Thursday to assure career staffers that he would prioritize restoring the department’s reputation for political independence and ensuring equal justice after a tumultuous four years under former President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Garland signaled in his first address to staff — a formal, 10-minute speech inside …

Merrick Garland arrives at Justice Department and delivers an implicit rebuke to Trump era
3 years, 9 months ago

Merrick Garland arrives at Justice Department and delivers an implicit rebuke to Trump era

CNN  

CNN — Attorney General Merrick Garland arrived at the Justice Department Thursday for his first day at work and spoke about the need to “adhere to norms” in an implicit rebuke of the Trump-era leadership. “The only way we can succeed and retain the trust of the American people is to adhere to the norms that have become part of …

Merrick Garland finally got his Senate vote. Now comes the hard part
3 years, 9 months ago

Merrick Garland finally got his Senate vote. Now comes the hard part

CNN  

Washington CNN — Merrick Garland faces multiple crises to address and politically tough decisions to make as he belatedly takes the reins at the Justice Department as attorney general. In an address to the department’s 115,000-person workforce, Garland said Thursday that he would “adhere to the norms” and invoked the name of Edward Levi, the attorney general who took over …

75 ex-top prosecutors endorse Biden’s pick for associate AG
3 years, 9 months ago

75 ex-top prosecutors endorse Biden’s pick for associate AG

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — More than 75 former U.S. attorneys are throwing their support behind President Joe Biden’s nominee for associate attorney general and urging congressional leaders to quickly confirm her to the post. “Many of us observed firsthand Ms. Gupta’s independence, integrity, and excellent judgment when she served as the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division,” read the letter, …

Garland vows sharp focus on Capitol riot as attorney general
3 years, 10 months ago

Garland vows sharp focus on Capitol riot as attorney general

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s attorney general nominee, vowed Monday to prioritize combating extremist violence and said his first focus would be on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as he sought to assure lawmakers that the Justice Department would remain politically independent on his watch. He said under questioning from Sen. Chuck Grassley, the committee’s top Republican, …

Snubbed as Obama high court pick, Garland in line to be AG
3 years, 10 months ago

Snubbed as Obama high court pick, Garland in line to be AG

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Judge Garland’s extensive legal experience makes him well-suited …

Merrick Garland Heads For Confirmation Hearing, 5 Years After He Was Denied A Vote
3 years, 10 months ago

Merrick Garland Heads For Confirmation Hearing, 5 Years After He Was Denied A Vote

NPR  

Merrick Garland Heads For Confirmation Hearing, 5 Years After He Was Denied A Vote Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP Most people know Judge Merrick Garland for what didn't happen to him. Sponsor Message "Having a well-respected judge as attorney general will help get the department out of the quagmire of partisan politics that many people think …

US Congress certifies Joe Biden’s win: The who’s who of president-elect’s cabinet
3 years, 11 months ago

US Congress certifies Joe Biden’s win: The who’s who of president-elect’s cabinet

Hindustan Times  

The United States Congress, in the early hours of January 7, officially announced Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next US president and vice president respectively. Antony Blinken : A former deputy national security advisor and deputy secretary of state, Blinken was nominated by Biden as the incoming secretary of state on November 23, 2020. Janet Yellen : A …

Biden to name Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general
3 years, 11 months ago

Biden to name Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge who in 2016 was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court, as his attorney general, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday. Biden is expected to announce Garland’s appointment on Thursday, along with other senior leaders of the department, including former …

Joe Biden selects judge Merrick Garland as attorney general
3 years, 11 months ago

Joe Biden selects judge Merrick Garland as attorney general

Al Jazeera  

Garland was previously nominated to the US top court but Senate Republicans refused to hold confirmation hearings. President-elect Joe Biden has selected Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge who in 2016 was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court, as his attorney general, United States media reported on Wednesday. Biden is expected to announce Garland’s appointment …

Opinion: Bill Barr can’t erase his shameful legacy
4 years ago

Opinion: Bill Barr can’t erase his shameful legacy

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Elie Honig is a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor. In retrospect, Barr told us who he was even before he took the job, when he sent an unsolicited letter to the Justice Department pre-judging Robert Mueller’s obstruction of justice investigation, calling it “fatally misconceived.” Sure enough, Barr eventually distorted Mueller’s findings to the public …

Merrick Garland Among Biden Candidates For Attorney General, Sources Say
4 years, 1 month ago

Merrick Garland Among Biden Candidates For Attorney General, Sources Say

NPR  

Merrick Garland Among Biden Candidates For Attorney General, Sources Say Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP Federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland is under consideration to serve as attorney general in the administration of President-elect Joe Biden, NPR has learned from two people closely following the process. More recently, Garland was nominated to serve on the U.S. …

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