Garland defends DOJ from criticisms about charging decisions in Capitol riot cases
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday defended the Justice Department against claims that it is not charging the rioters who breached the US Capitol on January 6 harshly enough.
"Prosecutors involved in this case are making determinations in every case about what charge fits the offense, what charge fits the law," Garland said during an interview for The New Yorker festival, when he was asked about the criticisms, which have come from outside observers and at least one of the judges presiding over the cases.
Many of the defendants have been charged only with misdemeanors and some low-level offenders have reached plea deals that will likely allow them to avoid jail time.
In one such case this summer, DC District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell questioned the appropriateness of bringing a sole "petty offense" against the defendant. Meanwhile, another judge on the court, Judge Trevor McFadden, suggested last week that the Department hasn't been "even-handed" because those who participated in riots associated with the racial justice protests of 2020 were not prosecuted as aggressively, according to McFadden, as the insurrection defendants.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/garland-defends-doj-from-criticisms-about-charging-decisions-in-capitol-riot-cases/ar-AAP8Bzb
DOJ is probing attacks on voting rights, says U.S. attorney general
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday said the Justice Department is "seriously and urgently investigating" how states are changing voting procedures or redistricting to ensure they are not violating federal voting rights.
"We are seriously and urgently investigating and examining other changes in procedures and practices, and particularly looking at all the redistricting that's done as a consequence of the decennial Census," Garland said during an interview at the New Yorker Festival.
"We are worried about attacks on voting systems, attacks from an Internet security point of view. We are worried about attacks on secretaries of state and administrators of elections and even poll workers," he said, adding he had established a task force to investigate these threats.
Garland's comments come just a few months after the Justice Department sued Georgia over its new election law, alleging it infringes on the rights of Black voters by tightening absentee ballot identification requirements, restricting ballot drop-box use, and even banning the distribution of water or food to people waiting on long lines at polling places.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/doj-is-probing-attacks-on-voting-rights-says-u-s-attorney-general/ar-AAP8yBJ
Garland taps FBI in response to ‘disturbing spike’ in threats against educators
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday ordered federal law enforcement authorities to huddle with local leaders in the coming weeks to address what the nation’s top prosecutor called a recent “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence” against educators and school board members.
The Justice Department will also unveil a series of additional measures in the coming days to “address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel,” Garland wrote in a memorandum to federal prosecutors and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The department said they're expected to include a training program and a new federal task force stacked with representatives from the department's criminal, civil rights and national security divisions.
“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation's core values,” Garland wrote. “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”
Key context: The Justice Department’s plans mark a notable escalation of the government’s response to school board meetings packed with protestors who denounce Covid-19 mask mandates, political interpretations of critical race theory and other highly-politicized issues that affect classroom learning and school safety.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/garland-taps-fbi-in-response-to-disturbing-spike-in-threats-against-educators/ar-AAP8C43
= new reply since forum marked as read
