Merrick Garland

Merrick Garland
Name	Merrick Garland
Birth date	March 13, 1952
Birth place	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Judge, Attorney, Public Official
Alma mater	Harvard College; Harvard Law School; Harvard University
Office	86th United States Attorney General
Term start	March 11, 2021
Predecessor	William Barr
Party	Democratic Party

Merrick Garland is an American jurist and public official who has served as the 86th United States Attorney General. He served for over two decades as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and was nominated to the Supreme Court in 2016. Garland's career includes high-profile prosecutions, judicial opinions on administrative law and national security, and leadership of the Department of Justice during the Biden administration.

Early life and education

Garland was born in Chicago, to a family of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, and raised in River Forest, Illinois. He attended Harvard College, where he studied History of the United States and graduated magna cum laude, then received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. During his education he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review and clerked for Judge Henry Friendly of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Justice William Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States. After clerking he worked in private practice at the law firm Arnold & Porter and served as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Legal career and judicial service

Garland joined the United States Department of Justice as a prosecutor and held positions including Chief of the Criminal Division and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General under Attorney General Janet Reno. He later served as a partner at Webster, Fredrikson & Kahn and as a federal judge after nomination by President Bill Clinton to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1997. On the D.C. Circuit he sat alongside judges such as David Tatel, Harlan Fiske Stone (historical reference), Douglas H. Ginsburg, and authored opinions on matters involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Administrative Procedure Act, and Freedom of Information Act. His judicial record interacted with litigants including American Civil Liberties Union, National Rifle Association, Microsoft Corporation, Enron, and WorldCom in cases implicating securities law, executive power, and regulatory authority.

Nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court (2016)

In 2016 President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court of the United States to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The nomination became a focal point of partisan conflict involving Senate leaders such as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, and interest groups including MoveOn.org, Americans for Prosperity, League of Conservation Voters, AARP, and the Federalist Society. Garland's moderate reputation, experience with matters concerning the National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and administrative law prompted commentary from legal scholars at institutions like Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, Columbia Law School, and University of Chicago Law School. The Senate did not hold hearings, and the seat was ultimately filled by nominee Neil Gorsuch under President Donald Trump after the 2016 election and the nomination of Gorsuch in 2017.

United States Attorney General

President Joe Biden nominated Garland to be Attorney General in 2021. After confirmation by the United States Senate, he succeeded Attorney General William Barr. As Attorney General he oversees components such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, Civil Rights Division, and Antitrust Division. His tenure has engaged with presidential administrations including Donald Trump (post-administration matters), Barack Obama (prior policies), and foreign policy intersections with Department of State inquiries. Garland has coordinated with federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense on security-related legal matters and worked with congressional committees including the House Judiciary Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee on oversight and legislative priorities.

Notable investigations, policies, and controversies

As Attorney General Garland has overseen investigations and policies involving the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, resulting prosecutions by U.S. Attorneys for the District of Columbia and interagency cooperation with Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices. He addressed issues relating to domestic terrorism statutes, coordination with state prosecutors such as New York County District Attorney's Office, and guidance on protest-related enforcement that drew responses from civil liberties organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and advocacy groups like Judicial Watch. Garland authorized investigations into classified document handling involving former officials such as Donald Trump and Joe Biden that intersected with the Special Counsel provisions and the Presidential Records Act. His decisions on enforcement of antitrust laws involved cases against technology firms like Google, Facebook, Apple Inc., and Amazon (company), and his civil rights agenda included actions on voting rights connected to Shelby County v. Holder jurisprudence and litigation under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Controversies have included debates over DOJ recusal policies, use of surveillance authorities such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, appointment of special counsels like Jack Smith and Robert Mueller (historical reference), and tensions with state election officials and governors including Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis over federal intervention.

Personal life and honors

Garland is married to Lynn Garland, with whom he has children, and has lived in the Washington, D.C. area. He has received honors from legal associations such as the American Bar Association and awards tied to public service from institutions including Harvard University and Georgetown University. He has been referenced in biographies and profiles in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and legal journals at Yale Law Journal and Harvard Law Review. He is associated with civic organizations including the Federal Bar Association and has participated in events at scholarly centers including the Brookings Institution, Bipartisan Policy Center, and American Enterprise Institute.

Category:Living people Category:United States Attorneys General Category:Harvard Law School alumni