He was elevated to chief judge in February 2013. Shaw An official website of the United States government. [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. Collins Circuit's panel decision in Parker v. District of Columbia invalidating the D.C. handgun ban. Shortly after Trump was sworn in as president, he nominated conservative appellate court judge Neil Gorsuch for the open Supreme Court seat. [65], In Lee v. Department of Justice (2005), Garland dissented from the denial of rehearing en banc after the D.C. [21] The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary unanimously gave Garland a "well-qualified" committee rating, its highest. font-size: .9em; Haynes [54] For example, in United States v. Watson (1999), Garland dissented when the court concluded a prosecutor's closing argument was unduly prejudicial, objecting that a conviction should be reversed for only "the most egregious of these kind of errors. [46][47][40], Garland is considered a judicial moderate and a centrist. Graber font-weight: bold; Scheindlin Berzon Straub Garland's approval rating is down to 30 percent, according to a recent survey from Rasmussen, a conservative-leaning but moderately well-regarded polling outfit. Biery Merrick Brian Garland was born on November 13, 1952, in Chicago. [178], On October 21, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to refer Steve Bannon, the adviser to former President Donald Trump, to the DOJ for criminial contempt of Congress due to defying a subpoena from the House's January 6 select committee over claims of executive privilege. Beaty [23][66] Garland found the regulation to be facially overbroad and not narrowly tailored. Vance Garland had been deeply involved in the decision. Garland served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia from 1989 to 1992. in 1977. [39] He received his judicial commission on March 20, 1997. Lasnik 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. Collier Carter Cooper says they misrepresent the facts", "Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivered a Policy Address Regarding Voting Rights", "AG Merrick Garland vows to protect voting rights, beef up DOJ civil rights division", "Justice Department suing Georgia over voting restrictions", "Justice Department Issues Guidance on Federal Statutes Regarding Voting Methods and Post-Election "Audits", "Justice Department puts states on notice about post-election audits and election law changes", "Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the State of Texas to Protect Voting Rights", "Justice Department sues Texas over new voting restrictions", "Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the State of Texas to Challenge Statewide Redistricting Plans", "Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks Announcing Lawsuit Against the State of Texas to Challenge Statewide Redistricting Plan", "In lawsuit, DOJ says Texas voting maps discriminate against Black and Latino voters", "DOJ sues Texas over Republican-approved redistricting maps", "Trump officials can testify on former President's actions leading up to insurrection, Justice Department decides", "Trump officials can testify in inquiries into efforts to subvert election outcome and Jan 6 riot, Justice Dept. He has demonstrated malice aforethought of and is criminally responsible for the coup and its . Hamilton [165], In July 2021, the Justice Department released two guidance documents regarding election law changes and post-election audits, reminding states that the DOJ was closely observing states' compliance with federal election and civil rights laws. Steps in the Process. Sri Srinivasan Is Up Next", "Obama to Nominate Merrick Garland to Supreme Court", "Garland Brings Centrist Flair to D.C. Whaley Riley Katzmann Donald Trump was at the center of the political violence on Jan. 6. His opinions avoid unnecessary, sweeping pronouncements. Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., of the United States Supreme Court. Gilmore color: white; Whittemore. The three OLC opinions that were revisited show a path available for Merrick Garland's DOJ, without any need for congressional or presidential approval, to recoup some of the OLC's rightfully sullied credibility. Lisi Duval Burgess [153][159] In House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Garland pushed back on Republicans' claims that the DOJ were treating parents like "domestic terrorists" and investigating political speech, testifying that the DOJ "[were] not investigating peaceful protest or parent involvement at school board meetings. [104] On April 7, 2017, the Senate confirmed Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court. Gilman Merrick Brian Garland (born November 13, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since March 2021 as the 86th United States attorney general.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.. A native of the Chicago area, Garland attended Harvard University for his undergraduate and legal education. [4] This position requires Senate confirmation. 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. V. Roberts Zapata, Adelman [28] Garland offered to lead the trial team, but could not because he was needed at the Justice Department headquarters. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images. Steele [111][112][113] Garland said it was likely the Biden administration would place a moratorium on use of the federal death penalty and expressed reservations about the death penalty in light of the "almost randomness or arbitrariness of its application. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press. word-wrap: break-word; Unmanned aerial vehicles are commonly referred to as UAVs or drones. Davis The Senate confirmed him on March 10, 2021, by a vote of 70-30. Hagen John Daniel Davidson October 7, 2022. background-color: #f9f9f9; Benavides width: 250px; Heartfield The briefing, which will include a "risk assessment," comes just one day before Attorney General Merrick Garland will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. }. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Garland is no "moderate.". } Thomas . 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. Evans Hinkle The nominee is much like the president-elect: competent but boring with a few . } President Joe Biden nominated Garland as attorney general in January 2021. Kessler [44][45] Garland's seven-year term as chief judge ended on February 11, 2020, with Judge Sri Srinivasan succeeding him. Judge Merrick Garland delivered the opinion of the circuit panel. Jones

} In addition, NeverTrump routinely defends Merrick Garland, and in addition, has come out in favor of transgenderism and teaching kids gay/gender ideology in grade school. At Harvard Law School he became an editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. Eaton Circuit. .widget-key { Phone: 202-514-2000 Circuit had unanimously decided to provide the public with same-day audio recordings of oral arguments in the court. Droney Seymour The White House quickly distanced itself from the decision. v. Central Intelligence Agency, 2016 presidential candidates on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, U.S. Lee Davis Gershon Young, Alsup Rendell Click here for more information about his confirmation process. Steeh Illston As the nations chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Garland leads the Justice Departments 115,000 employees, who work across the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide. He attended Harvard University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1974 with a degree in social studies. Garland's early October directive to the FBI was released a few days after the National School Boards Association argued to Biden that "the classification of these heinous actions could be the . Hayden Joe Biden. Chatigny Stewart Sessions Washington DC 20530, Contact the Department "[126][127][160][161] Numerous Senate Republicans called on Garland to resign over the memo. Cole Senators on the nomination of Merrick Garland, Process to fill the vacated seat of Justice Antonin Scalia. Garland wrote that the suit should be allowed to proceed because "no act of Congress and no judicial precedent" immunized the contractors from tort liability, the Federal Tort Claims Act specifically excludes contractors, and tort liability would not interfere with government operations. Garland retired from the court on March 10, 2021, following his confirmation. Circuit judges (en banc) that D.C.'s Juvenile Curfew Act of 1995 implicated at least some significant right of minors. [40], Garland became chief judge of the D.C. Burrage McCuskey 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. .widget-row.Libertarian { After receiving his law degree in 1977, Garland clerked for Judge Henry J. When asked where he would place the judicial branch in relation to the legislative and executive branches, Garland said, "Well, in terms of primacy there is no way to do that. [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. WASHINGTON (AP) 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. [48] Garland has been described by Nina Totenberg and Carrie Johnson of NPR as "a moderate liberal, with a definite pro-prosecution bent in criminal cases". In a notable ruling that year, Garland sided with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a case in which the ACLU sought documents from the Central Intelligence Agency regarding the use of drone strikes in counterterrorism operations. FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago lands Merrick Garland in a political firestorm The partisan outcry was the opposite of what Garland, a former federal judge, has sought in his 17 months on the job By . Middlebrooks Merrick Garland Is a Great Pick; That May Not Matter Obama's Supreme Court nominee is the least political, most conciliatory choice. Obama interviewed all three leading contenders, as well as two others who were being considered: Judge Jane L. Kelly of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lorenz Judge grants Trump's request for special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents. Uncategorized what political party does merrick garland belong to. [16][15] As an articles editor, Garland assigned himself to edit a submission by U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan on the topic of the role of state constitutions in safeguarding individual rights. Looking over members of President Joe Biden's cabinet, Attorney General Merrick Garland seemed unlikely to become the target of Republican apoplexy . A moderate and politically connected judge, Garland has been on Democratic Supreme Court shortlists since he was confirmed to the D.C. Share. Thread starter ouch; . Kennedy [55] For example, in United States ex rel. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow broke the news of the May 25 memo on her show Monday night. [28] Garland won praise for his work on the case from the Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Frank Keating. Ferguson [121][166][167], In November 2021, the DOJ sued Texas over Senate Bill 1 which required rejection of mail ballots "for immaterial errors and omissions," alleging it would restrict voting for those with limited English proficiency, soldiers deployed and voters overseas. Fogel Duffy width: 57%; HAAD Certified Dentists in Abu Dhabi. .widget-row.Green { Bennett [36] He was confirmed on March 19, 1997 by a 7623 vote. As president-elect, Biden nominated Garland for the office of U.S. attorney general. G. King In several other prominent cases, Garland ruled in favour of the federal government. Miller 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. } A native of the Chicago area, Garland attended Harvard University for his undergraduate and legal education. Wardlaw "[23] Garland has a reputation for collegiality and his opinions rarely draw a dissent. Ellison However, a dispute over whether to fill the open seat on the court led Senate Republicans to stall the nomination. Fuentes Wilson, Ambro Chambers Eventually, President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Neil Gorsuch to the vacant seat and the Republican Senate majority confirmed him. In a 2021 opinion, the Office of Legal Counsel acknowledged that its 2019 opinion on releasing Trump's tax returns "went astray" when it determined that Congress could not . [94][95][96] McConnell's categorical refusal to hold hearings on Garland's nomination was described by political scientists and legal scholars as unprecedented,[95][97][98] McConnell's choice to lead a Republican blockade of the nomination was described as a "culmination of [his] confrontational style,"[99] and an example of constitutional hardball. [55][56] Roberts justified his narrow reading by citing a book by Circuit Judge Henry Friendly. 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. Friedman Associate Editor, Encyclopdia Britannica. He was confirmed by the Senate and took office in March of that same year. [187], Garland is partially colorblind, so he uses a list to match his suits and ties.[17]. Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a rally ahead of Arizona primary elections, in Prescott Valley, Ariz., July 22, 2022. [2][3] His mother Shirley (ne Horwitz; 19252016)[4] was a director of volunteer services at Chicago's Council for Jewish Elderly (now called CJE SeniorLife). } Jack Smith, the special counsel announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday to oversee the criminal investigations into the retention of classified documents at former President Donald . Morrow Merrick Garland, in full Merrick Brian Garland, (born November 13, 1952, Chicago, Illinois), American lawyer, judge, and government official who served as U.S. attorney general (2021 ) in the administration of Pres. Pallmeyer Answer (1 of 5): I have a very peculiar, personal, and non-expert reason for supporting Merrick's nomination. A week later, Garland was named as one of three judges on the President's "short list" (along with Judge Sri Srinivasan, also of the D.C. Circuit reverses district court ruling over CIA drone program (2013), "Meet Merrick Garland" Obama White House, March 16, 2016. O'Malley Phillips [16][17][21] This correspondence with Brennan later contributed to his winning a clerkship with the justice. WASHINGTON Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed a special counsel on Friday to take over two major criminal investigations involving former President . [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.