Lemelle background-color: #f9d334; [55], Garland has taken a broad view of whistleblower protection laws, such as the False Claims Act (FCA),[56] which creates a private cause of action against those defrauding the federal government. Phillips Apply today! Unmanned aerial vehicles are commonly referred to as UAVs or drones. Circuit affirmed the district court's order holding reporters in contempt of court for refusing to testify about their anonymous sources during the Wen Ho Lee investigation. Obama nominated Garland as Scalias replacement in March, but Senate Republicans (who held the majority in the chamber) refused to schedule a vote or even to hold hearings on Garlands nomination. .infobox p { And, for that, if you were to assign a political designation (once again, there are NO POLITICS IN A JUDICIAL DECISION), he might be seen a someone . They hoped that a Republican would win the 2016 presidential election and nominate a more conservative justice. Merrick Brian Garland (born November 13, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since March 2021 as the 86th United States attorney general. [55] For example, in United States ex rel. Circuit reviewed cases arising from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Lynn [154][158][160], In June 2021, Garland pledged to double the department's enforcement staff for protecting the right to vote, in response to Republican Party efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election,[163][164] The same month, Garland announced a DOJ lawsuit against the state of Georgia over its newly passed restrictions on voting; the DOJ complaint said that the state targeted Black Americans in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. [79][80] Obama nominated Solicitor General of the United States Elena Kagan, who was confirmed in August 2010. Shaw Immediately preceding his confirmation as Attorney General, Attorney General Garland was a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The seat was instead filled by now-Justice Neil Gorsuch. Timlin Winmill , Broadwater Gov. Burgess } Hood Lancaster Friedman Moon Joe Biden. [107], President-elect Joe Biden selected Garland for the position of United States attorney general, with news of the selection coming on January 6, 2021. Briones [16] In 1993, Garland joined the new Clinton administration as deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice. Hunt An official website of the United States government. [138][139] On December 3, the DOJ opened another investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department to assess if it engaged in discriminatory policing, involving its use of force, strip and body cavity searches, how it handles evidence, and its systems of accountability. Gould Haaland is a Native American and enrolled . Scheindlin [23][66] Garland found the regulation to be facially overbroad and not narrowly tailored. Circuit, and Judge Paul J. Watford of the Ninth Circuit). Ron DeSantis (R) "will make his debut appearances in three early presidential primary states in the next several weeks, selling his performance in his own state as he lays the groundwork for an expected presidential campaign," the New York Times reports. [187], Garland is partially colorblind, so he uses a list to match his suits and ties.[17]. [3] In Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Ass'n v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. (1983) Garland acted as counsel to an insurance company suing to reinstate an unpopular automatic seat belt mandate. [10], The American Bar Association rated Garland Unanimously Well Qualified at the time of his nomination process. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and top European legal officials, and called for Russia to face international prosecution for war crimes, Attorney General Merrick Garland says he wont interfere with an investigation into Hunter Bidens taxes run by the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, Top lawmakers in Congress have been briefed on the investigations into classified documents found in the private possession of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel overseeing investigations into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Huck [92] The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary unanimously rated Garland "well-qualified" (its highest rating) to sit on the Supreme Court. Thrash, Aiken padding-left: 10px; Chesney The Senate confirmed him on March 10, 2021, by a vote of 70-30. Ferguson Burrage Garland delivered a speech in January this year on the first anniversary of the Capitol riot, asserting his department's commitment to protect the American people and democracy. "[23] Garland has a reputation for collegiality and his opinions rarely draw a dissent. [121][122][123][124], On June 7, 2021, the Justice Department continued its defense of a defamation lawsuit by E. Jean Carroll, arguing that President Trump could not be sued because he had denied her rape allegation in offending statements in his presidential capacity. [15], In 2003, Garland was elected to the Harvard Board of Overseers, completing the unexpired term of Deval Patrick, who had stepped down from the board. The Senate confirmed him on March 10, 2021, by a vote of 70-30. In a Jan. 5 speech to the nation, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, "We will, and we must speak through our actions." Garland's well-crafted words told Americans what they needed to . .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { The most recent example is his obsession with the January 6 Capitol Hill riot, to the point of spending hours watching the televised January 6 . Breyer Merrick Brian Garland was born on November 13, 1952, in Chicago. Cote [82][83][84] President Obama responded that he intended to "fulfill my constitutional duty to appoint a judge to our highest court,"[85][86] and that there was no "well established tradition" that a president could not fill a Supreme Court vacancy during their last year in office. .widget-value { [72] He joined parts of a plurality opinion written by Judge Laurence Silberman that upheld the juvenile curfew under intermediate scrutiny and a vagueness challenge. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Messitte Moore Damrell Orlofsky Jones Johnson [23] In cases involving the Freedom of Information Act and similar provisions related to government transparency, "Judge Garland's rulings reflect a preference for open government. Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a rally ahead of Arizona primary elections, in Prescott Valley, Ariz., July 22, 2022. Circuit reversed the conviction of a Washington, D.C. police officer who had accepted bribes in an FBI sting operation. Rakoff [183] The couple lives together in Bethesda, Maryland. [3], The following is a summary of Garland's career:[3]. Squatrito After assuming his seat on the appeals court, Garland became widely known as a judicial moderate. Barzilay Thornburg [46][47][40], Garland is considered a judicial moderate and a centrist. Porteous M errick Garland, the appellate judge whom President Barack Obama has nominated to the Supreme Court, is a "moderate.". .widget-row.Republican { Beaty It also isn't the worst one. Democrats have praised Garland, a federal appeals . This was in retaliation for U.S. expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, a sanction imposed by the United States against Russia for its SolarWinds hack, aggression against Ukraine, and interference in the 2020 U.S. Webber Chambers text-align: center; Garland's nomination lasted 293 days (the longest to date by far), and it expired on January 3, 2017, at the end of the 114th Congress. Judge Merrick Garland delivered the opinion of the circuit panel. After a period of 293 days, Garland's nomination expired on January 3, 2017, at the end of the 114th Congress. Joined Nov 27, 2016 Messages 23,820 Reaction score 4,446 Gender Circuit, Law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Assistant Attorneys General, United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton, United States Department of Justice lawyers, Unsuccessful nominees to the United States Supreme Court, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using Sister project links with wikidata namespace mismatch, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 01:52. McLaughlin The government, academia, and influential media and tech corporations are actively trying to push us to the margins. .widget-row.value-only.black { Judge grants Trump's request for special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents. In March 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to justify denying a vote on Obama's nomination of DC Circuit Court Judge Merrick Garland to replace . Fenner [23] In United States ex rel. [65] In Cause of Action v. FTC (2015), Garland wrote for a panel unanimously overturning the agency's limitation on FOIA fee waivers to large news outlets. B. Parker [3][26], In that role, Garland's responsibilities included the supervision of high-profile domestic-terrorism cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing, Ted Kaczynski (also known as the "Unabomber"), and the Atlanta Olympics bombings. [74], In 2009, following the announcement by Justice David Souter that he would retire, Garland was considered as one of nine finalists for the post, which ultimately went to Sonia Sotomayor, then a judge of the Second Circuit. Find out more about Nancy Pelosi's life and career, as well as her political views, below. In addition to asking respondents whether they got political and election news in the past week from each of 30 different sources (selected to represent a range of news media across different platforms), respondents were asked in an open-ended question to write in the one main source they rely on most for this news. Moody word-wrap: break-word; [22], Desiring to return to public service and do more trial work, in 1989 Garland became an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Wilson, Ambro Stewart Eaton At Harvard Law School he became an editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. Garland was the grandson of Jewish immigrants who in the early 1900s fled the Pale of Settlementthe western regions of the Russian Empire to which Jews were then restrictedto escape anti-Semitism. } WASHINGTON Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed a special counsel on Friday to take over two major criminal investigations involving former President . McKee Manella [16] After President Jimmy Carter appointed Mikva to the D.C. Lucero Click on the following table to view the full roll call. He later worked in the Department of Justice during the administration of Pres. Block Garland also expressed admiration for the writing style of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.[34] However, Senate Republicans did not schedule a vote on Garland's confirmation,[3] not because of concerns over Garland's qualifications, but because of a dispute over whether to fill the seat. Manning Underhill Friendly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (197778) and for Supreme Court Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. (197879). Trager Dominguez Jack In those roles, his responsibilities spanned the work of the Department, including criminal, civil, and national security matters. Singal The main reason to disbelieve the argument that Garland is preparing to indict is simple: To bring criminal charges against a former president from an opposing political party would be the . Melancon [174] The letters relayed that the DOJ would not exert executive privilege over their testimony as witnesses to Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election or the 2021 United States Capitol attack, and that they were free to provide "unrestricted testimony" and "irrespective of potential privilege" to the House Oversight Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee. [132] Garland rescinded a Trump administration policy (imposed by Jeff Sessions) that curtailed DOJ investigations into police department misconduct ("pattern-and-practice" investigations) and restricted the use of consent decrees to reform police departments. color: black; Lindsay [108][109] He was formally nominated by Biden on January 20, after Biden took office. But Garland's testimony shaky at times, radically left-wing at others made clear that America dodged a bullet when Republicans blocked him. Kimball "[23] In ACLU v. CIA (2013), Garland wrote for a panel unanimously rejecting the agency's Glomar response and ordering it to process the ACLU's FOIA request regarding targeted killings by CIA drones. Coar [16][20] Garland graduated from Harvard in 1974 with an A.B., summa cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Gottschall . Munley }. Under his leadership, the Department of Justice is dedicated to upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting the civil rights of all Americans. Polster [75], After the April 2010 announcement by Justice John Paul Stevens that he would retire, Garland was again widely seen as a leading contender for a nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States. [22] The CIA refused to confirm or deny that it had any such records and moved for summary judgment, arguing that whether or not the CIA had such records was exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Clevert Hurley Garland was born in Chicago, Illinois. Borman The White House quickly distanced itself from the decision. [103] On January 31, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill the Court vacancy. [65], In Lee v. Department of Justice (2005), Garland dissented from the denial of rehearing en banc after the D.C. He served in both career and non-career positions under five Attorneys General, including as Special Assistant to the Attorney General, Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division, and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General. In November the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, won the election. 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Kahn Eventually, President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Neil Gorsuch to the vacant seat and the Republican Senate majority confirmed him. [88] Soon afterward, Senator Orrin Hatch, President pro tempore of the United States Senate and the most senior Republican Senator, predicted that President Obama would "name someone the liberal Democratic base wants" even though he "could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man. [48] In May 2010, Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, said he would help Obama if Garland was nominated, calling Garland "a consensus nominee" and predicting that Garland would win Senate confirmation with bipartisan support. [24][71], In Hutchins v. District of Columbia (1999), Garland concurred with four other D.C. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. O'Toole Karen HendersonJ. Michelle ChildsFlorence PanRobert Leon WilkinsPatricia Ann MillettCornelia T. L. PillardGreg KatsasNeomi RaoJustin Walker (U.S. Court of Appeals), David SentelleDouglas GinsburgDavid TatelHarry EdwardsArthur Randolph, William CranchRichard Henry AlveySeth ShepardConstantine Joseph SmythDuncan GronerGeorge Ewing MartinHarold Montelle StephensHenry EdgertonDavid SentelleMerrick GarlandDouglas GinsburgHarry EdwardsSpottswood RobinsonWilbur MillerDavid BazelonCarl McGowanAbner MikvaElijah PrettymanPatricia WaldJames Wright (Louisiana), Adams Tucker Lynch Click here for more information about his confirmation process. Urbina After serving as a law clerk to Judge Henry J. The Supreme Court subsequently affirmed this invalidation 54 in an opinion by Justice Scalia. Kennelly The plaintiff in this case, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act for records held by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) pertaining to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. He stepped down as chief judge of the District of Columbia Circuit in February 2020, though he continued to serve as a judge on the court. } Casey Koeltl } will require its law enforcement officers to use body cameras in certain circumstances", "Justice Department Announces First Federal Agents to Use Body-Worn Cameras", "Justice Department announces investigation into Georgia prisons", "Justice Department Announces Investigation into Conditions in Georgia Prisons", "Department of Justice Announces Department-Wide Policy on Chokeholds and 'No-Knock' Entries", "Justice Department limits use of chokeholds and 'no-knock' warrants", "Bans on chokeholds for federal officers latest in nationwide push to hold police to a 'higher standard', "Justice Department Announces Investigation into Conditions at Five Juvenile Facilities in Texas", "Justice Department Addresses Violent Threats Against School Officials and Teachers", "McConnell challenges Garland on DOJ effort to address threats against public school board members and teachers", "NSBA, AASA Issue Joint Statement Calling for End to Threats and Violence Around Safe School Opening Decisions", "National School Boards Association Asks for Federal Assistance to Stop Threats and Acts of Violence Against Public Education Leaders", "National School Boards Association Statement in Response to Justice Department Action to Address Threats Against School Personnel", "School board group backtracks on letter for security help from DOJ", "9 House Republicans vote with Democrats to hold Steve Bannon in contempt for defying Jan. 6 subpoena", "Garland faces relentless GOP pressure after issuing memo on school board threats", "Attorney General Merrick Garland defends memo responding to threats of violence against school board members", "GOP senators erupt at Garland in heated hearing. Ballotpedia features 395,557 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. As principal associate deputy U.S. attorney general from 1994, Garland oversaw several major domestic terrorism prosecutions, including that of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols for the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which killed 168 people. Tagle [3], Garland served as co-chair of the administrative law section of the District of Columbia Bar from 1991 to 1994. Answer (1 of 5): I have a very peculiar, personal, and non-expert reason for supporting Merrick's nomination. Feess He previously served as a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1997 to 2021. border: 1px solid #a2a9b1 !important; Dyk As a line prosecutor, Garland represented the government in criminal cases ranging from drug trafficking to complex public corruption matters. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press. Briscoe .widget-row { [6] As of June 2018, she advised government and nonprofit groups on voting systems security and accuracy issues. Blake The DOJ in a court filing determined that Brooks' relevant comments and actions were outside the scope of his official responsibilities as a member of Congress. Cavanaugh On March 16, 2016, President Barack Obama announced Merrick Garland as his nominee to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia's seat on the United States Supreme Court. Criminal law and whistleblower protection, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.