Merrick Garland, the D.C. federal appeals court judge that Joe Biden's former boss, President Barack Obama, unsuccessfully tried to put on the Supreme Court, has been tapped by President-elect Biden to be Attorney General.
Also Read: Obama Nominates Garland for High Court
Garland joined the U.S. court of Appeals for the D.C. Court, which has principal jurisdiction over challenges to FCC decision, in April 1997 and is the former chief judge of that court. He is also a Justice Department veteran who led the investigations of the Unabomber and the response to the Oklahoma City bombing. He served as deputy assistant attorney general in the criminal division and principal associate deputy attorney general.
The Biden transition team billed the choice of Garland as "underscoring the President-elect’s commitment to restore integrity and the rule of law, boost morale of the dedicated career professionals at DOJ, and build a more equitable justice system that serves all Americans."
The announcement came the day after a mob of Trump supporters trampled on that rule of law en route to storming the Capitol in an effort to protect Congress' certification of President-elect Biden as the winner.
Also tapped for top Justice Department posts were Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general. She was a 15-year veteran of the department including serving as assistant attorney general for national security under President Obama, the first woman to hold that post.
Vanita Gupta, former acting assistant attorney general, has been named associate attorney general, the first woman of color--she is an Indian-American--to serve in that role.
Kirsten Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), has been named assistant attorney general for civil rights.
“Merrick Garland is a brilliant judge who has earned the respect of lawmakers from both parties throughout his decades in public service," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. "The Attorney General of the United States serves as the people’s lawyer, and I have full confidence that Judge Garland will restore credibility and independence to the Department of Justice. I look forward to working with him to make systemic reforms to our justice system, secure Americans’ right to vote, and counter the increasing monopolization that is hurting consumers.”
