United States: Merrick Garland, a pledge of the independence of American justice
Judge and future Minister of Justice Merrick Garland, here at Joe Biden's transition headquarters in Wilmington, January 7, 2021 REUTERS - KEVIN LAMARQUE
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Joe Biden chose Merrick Garland as the head of the Department of Justice.
He will have the heavy task of "restoring the honor, integrity and independence" of American justice in the words of the elected president.
He had been Barack Obama's candidate for the Supreme Court in 2016, blocked by Republicans.
Portrait of one of the pillars of the new Biden administration.
Publicity
Read more
Merrick Garland is about to take the place of the one the Democrats had nicknamed "
Donald Trump's lawyer
".
The former Minister of Justice had intervened several times in favor of the outgoing president and his relatives before finally
leaving his post
at Christmas.
Conversely, Merrick Garland is for Joe Biden a pledge of the independence of American justice.
After graduating from Harvard law school, he notably served as an assistant to a member of the
Supreme Court
appointed by a Republican president.
As a prosecutor he has proven his finesse by being in charge of delicate cases like that of the murderous Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
This is how he was ultimately appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals he currently heads.
An institution known for the importance of the files that pass there, a sort of antechamber to the Supreme Court.
At 68, Merrick Garland will have to initiate the deep reforms promised by Joe Biden during his campaign.
He has already underlined his two priorities: “
racial equity
” in the justice system and the fight against “
violent extremists
”.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States
Joe biden
Justice
On the same subject
United States: Washington under siege six days after Joe Biden's inauguration
What can happen after the second indictment of Donald Trump?
United States: Joe Biden unveils his $ 1.9 trillion stimulus plan