Merrick Garland: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American lawyer and jurist (born 1952)}}

| image               = Attorney General Merrick Garland.jpg

| alt                = Official portrait of United States Attorney General Merrick Garland

| office              = 86th [[United States Attorney General]]

| president           = [[Joe Biden]]

| deputy             = [[Lisa Monaco]]

| term_start         = March 11, 2021

| predecessor         = [[William Barr]]

| office1             = Chief Judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]]

| term_start1         = February 12, 2013

| term_end1           = February 11, 2020

| predecessor1       = [[David B. Sentelle]]

| successor1         = [[Sri Srinivasan]]

| office2             = Judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]]

| term_start2         = March 20, 1997

| term_end2           = March 11, 2021

| appointer2         = [[Bill Clinton]]

| predecessor2       = [[Abner J. Mikva]]

| successor2         = [[Ketanji Brown Jackson]]

| birth_name         = Merrick Brian Garland

| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1952|11|13}}

| birth_place         = [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.

| death_date         =  

| death_place         =

| party              =  

| spouse             = {{marriage|Lynn Rosenman|September 19, 1987}}

| children           = 2

| residence           = [[Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S.

| education           = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|AB]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])

| signature           = Merrick Garland signature.svg

'''Merrick Brian Garland''' (born November 13, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the 86th [[United States attorney general]] since March 2021. He served as a [[United States federal judge|circuit judge]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit]] from 1997 to 2021.

President [[Barack Obama]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], [[Merrick Garland Supreme Court nomination|nominated]] Garland to serve as an [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|associate justice of the Supreme Court]] in March 2016 to fill the vacancy created by the death of [[Antonin Scalia]]. However, the [[Senate Republican Conference|Republican Senate majority]] refused to hold a hearing or vote on his nomination. The unprecedented refusal of a [[United States Senate|Senate]] majority to consider the nomination was highly controversial.<!--CITATIONS FOR THIS SENTENCE ARE PROVIDED IN THE BODY OF THE ARTICLE PER [[WP:LEADCITE]], SPECIFICALLY THE ADAM LIPTAK ARTICLE ENTITLED "STUDY CALLS SNUB OF OBAMA'S SUPREME COURT PICK UNPRECEDENTED," WHICH SUMMARIES THE STUDY BY ROBIN BRADLEY KAR AND JASON MAZZONE PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2752287). DO NOT REMOVE OR MODIFY THIS SENTENCE WITHOUT OBTAINING CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE.--> Garland's nomination lasted 293 days (the longest to date by far), and it expired on January 3, 2017, at the end of the [[114th Congress]]. Eventually, President [[Donald Trump]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], nominated [[Neil Gorsuch]] to the vacant seat and the Republican Senate majority confirmed him.

 

President [[Joe Biden]] nominated Garland as attorney general in January 2021. He was confirmed by the Senate and took office in March.

Merrick Brian Garland was born on November 13, 1952, in [[Chicago]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2LxFAQAAIAAJ |title=Biographical Directory of the Federal Judiciary |publisher=Bernan Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0890592588 |page=511 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102134130/https://books.google.com/books?id=2LxFAQAAIAAJ |archive-date=November 2, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> He grew up in the northern Chicago suburb of [[Lincolnwood, Illinois|Lincolnwood.]]<ref name="SweetChicagoNative">{{cite news |first=Lynn |last=Sweet |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/3/16/18392101/obama-supreme-court-pick-chicago-native-merrick-garland |title=Obama Supreme Court pick: Chicago native Merrick Garland |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320015933/http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/obama-supreme-court-pick-lincolnwoods-merrick-garland/ |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ReputationCollegiality">{{cite news |first1=Nina |last1=Totenberg |author-link=Nina Totenberg |first2=Carrie |last2=Johnson |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/03/16/126614141/merrick-garland-has-a-reputation-of-collegiality-record-of-republican-support |title=Merrick Garland Has A Reputation of Collegiality, Record of Republican Support |work=[[NPR]] |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320100539/http://www.npr.org/2016/03/16/126614141/merrick-garland-has-a-reputation-of-collegiality-record-of-republican-support |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> His mother Shirley (''née'' Horwitz; 1925–2016)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-11-27-0011270039-story.html |access-date=September 11, 2021 |title=Garland (obituary) |date=November 27, 2000 |work=Chicago Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222171812/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-11-27/news/0011270039_1_weinstein-chapel-service-roter |archive-date=February 22, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> was a director of volunteer services at [[CJE SeniorLife|Chicago's Council for Jewish Elderly]] (now called CJE SeniorLife). His father, Cyril Garland (1915–2000),<ref>{{cite web |title=GARLAND |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-11-27-0011270039-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en}}</ref> headed Garland Advertising, a [[small business]] run out of the family home.<ref name="ReputationCollegiality" /><ref name="nytimesref">{{cite news |title=Lynn Rosenman is Married |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 20, 1987 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/20/style/lynn-rosenman-is-married.html |access-date=April 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414200345/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/20/style/lynn-rosenman-is-married.html |archive-date=April 14, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ForwardStory">{{cite web |first=Josh |last=Nathan-Kazis |url=https://forward.com/news/336091/can-merrick-garland-fair-minded-mensch-of-a-judge-win-spot-on-the-supreme/ |title=Merrick Garland Offers Poignant Story About Anti-Semitism as Supreme Court Battle Looms |work=[[The Forward]] |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320090502/http://forward.com/news/336091/can-merrick-garland-fair-minded-mensch-of-a-judge-win-spot-on-the-supreme-c/ |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Garland was raised in [[Conservative Judaism]], the family name having been changed from Garfinkel several generations earlier. His grandparents left the [[Pale of Settlement]] in the [[Russian Empire]] in the early 20th century, fleeing [[Antisemitism in the Russian Empire|antisemitic]] [[Anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire|pogroms]] and seeking a better life for their children in the United States.<ref name="ForwardStory"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Margolick |first=David |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/198684/whats-in-merrick-garlands-name |title=What's in Merrick Garland's Name? |work=[[Tablet (magazine)|Tablet]] |date=March 18, 2016 |access-date=August 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324190834/http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/198684/whats-in-merrick-garlands-name |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> He is a second cousin of six-term Iowa Governor [[Terry Branstad]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=McKinney |first1=Kait |title=Branstad Has Unique Connection to SCOTUS Nominee Merrick Garland|url=http://whotv.com/2016/03/16/branstad-has-unique-connection-to-scotus-nominee-merrick-garland/ |work=WHO-HD Channel 13 |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-date=March 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321000616/http://whotv.com/2016/03/16/branstad-has-unique-connection-to-scotus-nominee-merrick-garland/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Garland attended [[Niles West High School]] in [[Skokie, Illinois|Skokie]], Illinois, where he was president of the student council, acted in theatrical productions, and was a member of the debate team.<ref name=NYT1>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/merrick-garland-supreme-court-nominee.html |title=Merrick Garland's Path to Nomination Marked by Deference, With Limits |last1=Stolberg |first1=Sheryl Gay |date=March 16, 2016 |page=A1 |last2=Liptak |first2=Adam |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=March 20, 2016}}</ref> He graduated in 1970 as the class [[valedictorian]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/><ref name="SweetChicagoNative"/> Garland was also a [[Presidential Scholars Program|Presidential Scholar]] and [[National Merit Scholar]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/630230392.html?dids=630230392:630230392&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+30%2C+1970&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(1963-Current+file)&edition=&startpage=A10&desc=145+in+Chicago%2C+Suburbs+Awarded+Merit+Scholarships|title=145 in Chicago, Suburbs Awarded Merit Scholarships|newspaper=Chicago Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525082340/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/630230392.html?dids=630230392:630230392&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+30%2C+1970&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(1963-Current+file)&edition=&startpage=A10&desc=145+in+Chicago%2C+Suburbs+Awarded+Merit+Scholarships |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |date=April 30, 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/598206112.html?dids=598206112:598206112&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jun+5%2C+1970&author=ALDO+BECKMAN&pub=Chicago+Tribune+(1963-Current+file)&edition=&startpage=2&desc=Nixon+Urges+Scholars+to+Take+Active+Role+in+Communities|title=Nixon Urges Scholars to Take Active Role in Communities|newspaper=Chicago Tribune |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729173230/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/doc/169837904.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jun%205,%201970&author=ALDO%20BECKMAN&pub=Chicago%20Tribune%20(1963-Current%20file)&edition=&startpage=2&desc=Nixon%20Urges%20Scholars%20to%20Take%20Active%20Role%20in%20Communities |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |date=June 5, 1970}}</ref>

After high school, Garland studied social studies at [[Harvard University]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/><ref name="NPR2010ShortList">{{cite news |title=A Short List: Who Will Succeed Justice Stevens? |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=April 9, 2010 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125766967 |access-date=September 11, 2021 |first=Ron |last=Elving }}</ref><ref name="OfficialCongressionalDirectory">{{cite book |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2020-07-22/pdf/CDIR-2020-07-22-JUDICIARY.pdf |title=Official Congressional Directory: 116th Congress (2019 - 2020) |isbn=9780160953866 |page=870 |publisher=U. S. Government Printing Office |date=2020 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913130443/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDIR-2020-07-22/pdf/CDIR-2020-07-22-JUDICIARY.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> He initially wanted to become a physician, but soon decided to become a lawyer instead.<ref name="NYT1" /> Garland allied himself with his future boss, [[Jamie Gorelick]], when he was elected the only freshman member of a campus-wide committee on which Gorelick also served.<ref name="WashPo3/27">{{cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Amy |last2=Hamburger |first2=Tom |title=For Merrick Garland, a methodical life of ambition |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-merrick-garland-a-methodical-life-of-ambition-without-sharp-elbows/2016/03/26/e53becc6-f062-11e5-89c3-a647fcce95e0_story.html |access-date=March 29, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 27, 2016 |page=A1}}</ref> During his college summers Garland volunteered as a speechwriter to Congressman [[Abner J. Mikva]].<ref name="WashPo3/27"/> After President [[Jimmy Carter]] appointed Mikva to the D.C. Circuit, Mikva would rely on Garland when hiring law clerks.<ref name="NYT 3/27">{{cite news |last1=Stolberg |first1=Sheryl Gay |last2=Apuzzo |first2=Matt |last3=Seelye |first3=Katharine Q. |title=Merrick Garland Is a Deft Navigator of Washington's Legal Circles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/merrick-garland-obama-supreme-court-nominee.html?_r=0 |access-date=March 29, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=March 27, 2016 |page=A1}}</ref> At Harvard, Garland wrote news articles and [[Theatre criticism|theater reviews]] for the ''[[The Harvard Crimson|Harvard Crimson]]'' and worked as a [[Quincy House (Harvard)|Quincy House]] tutor.<ref>{{cite web |first=Claire E. |last=Parker |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/3/17/Garland-maintains-Harvard-ties/ |title=Supreme Court Nominee Maintains Close Harvard Ties |work=Harvard Crimson |date=March 17, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="RosenEllement">{{cite news |last1=Rosen |first1=Andy |last2=Ellement |first2=John R. |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/03/16/obama-supreme-court-nominee-has-strong-ties-harvard-university/wE7cgF8qRokW2A9Vq5ygEO/story.html |title=Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland has strong ties to Harvard University |work=Boston Globe |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref> Garland wrote his 235-page honors thesis on industrial [[mergers and acquisitions|mergers]] in Britain in the 1960s.<ref name="WashPo3/27"/><ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Garland |first1=Merrick Brian |title=Industrial reorganization in Britain; an interpretation of government/industry relations in the 1960's. |date=1974 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/76985796 |access-date=February 22, 2021 |institution=[[Harvard University]] |language=English |oclc=76985796}}</ref> Garland graduated from Harvard in 1974 as class valedictorian with an [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] [[Latin honors#United States|''summa cum laude'']] and was elected to [[Phi Beta Kappa]].

Garland then attended [[Harvard Law School]],<ref name="NPR2010ShortList"/> where he was a member of the ''[[Harvard Law Review]]''. Garland ran for the presidency of the ''Law Review'' but lost to [[Susan Estrich]], so he served as an articles editor instead.<ref name="WashPo3/27"/><ref name="OfficialCongressionalDirectory"/> As an articles editor, Garland assigned himself to edit a submission by U.S. Supreme Court Justice [[William J. Brennan Jr.|William Brennan]] on the topic of the role of [[State constitution (United States)|state constitution]]s in safeguarding [[individual right]]s.<ref name="WashPo3/27"/><ref name="NYT 3/27"/><ref name="Mauro">{{cite news |first=Tony |last=Mauro |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2018/03/26/how-merrick-garland-landed-a-supreme-court-clerkship-with-brennan/ |access-date=September 11, 2021 |title=How Merrick Garland Landed a Supreme Court Clerkship With Brennan |work=National Law Journal |date=March 26, 2018 }}</ref> This correspondence with Brennan later contributed to his winning a clerkship with the justice.<ref name="Mauro"/> Garland graduated from Harvard Law in 1977 with a [[Juris Doctor]] ''magna cum laude''.

After graduating from law school, Garland spent two years as a judicial [[law clerk]], first for Judge [[Henry Friendly]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]] from 1977 to 1978 and then for Justice William Brennan at the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] from 1978 to 1979.<ref name="OfficialCongressionalDirectory" /> After his clerkships, Garland spent two years as a special assistant to U.S. Attorney General [[Benjamin Civiletti]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/>

After the [[Presidency of Jimmy Carter|Carter administration]] ended in 1981, Garland entered private practice at the law firm [[Arnold & Porter]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/> Garland mostly practiced corporate litigation, and was made a partner in 1985.<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/> In ''[[Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Ass'n v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.]]'' (1983) Garland acted as counsel to an insurance company suing to reinstate an unpopular [[automatic seat belt]] mandate.<ref name=HarvLRev>{{Cite journal|last=Garland|first=Merrick B.|date=1985|title=Deregulation and Judicial Review|journal=Harvard Law Review|volume=98|issue=3|pages=505–591|doi=10.2307/1340869|issn=0017-811X|jstor=1340869}}</ref>

In 1985–86, while at Arnold & Porter, Garland was a lecturer at [[Harvard Law School]], where he taught [[United States antitrust law|antitrust]] law.<ref name="OfficialCongressionalDirectory"/><ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom">{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Goldstein |author-link=Tom Goldstein |url=http://www.scotusblog.com/2010/04/the-potential-nomination-of-merrick-garland/ |title=The Potential Nomination of Merrick Garland |work=SCOTUSBlog |date=April 26, 2010 |access-date=April 30, 2010 }}</ref> He also published an article in the ''[[Yale Law Journal]]'' urging a broader application of [[Parker immunity doctrine|antitrust immunity]] to state and local governments.<ref name=HarvLRev/>

Garland then briefly returned to Arnold & Porter, working there from 1992 to 1993.<ref name="WashPo3/27"/> In 1993, Garland joined the new [[Bill Clinton administration|Clinton administration]] as deputy assistant attorney general in the [[United States Department of Justice Criminal Division|Criminal Division]] of the [[United States Department of Justice]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/> The following year, Deputy Attorney General [[Jamie Gorelick]]{{snd}}a key mentor of Garland's<ref>{{cite news | work = Los Angeles Times | access-date = March 16, 2016 | date = July 6, 1995 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-06-mn-20694-story.html | title = Washington Insight | archive-date = March 23, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160323101953/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-07-06/news/mn-20694_1_washington-appellate | url-status = live }}</ref>{{snd}}asked Garland to be her [[Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General|principal associate deputy attorney general]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/garprim.pdf|title=Merrick B. Garland: Selected Primary Material|date=March 17, 2016|website=[[U.S. Congressional Research Service]]|access-date=August 27, 2018}}</ref>

In that role, Garland's responsibilities included the supervision of high-profile [[Domestic terrorism in the United States|domestic-terrorism]] cases, including the [[Oklahoma City bombing]], [[Ted Kaczynski]] (also known as the "Unabomber"), and the [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|Atlanta Olympics bombings]].<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee|first1=Carol E.|last2=Peterson|first2=Kristina|last3=Bravin|first3=Jess |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-to-pick-merrick-garland-to-fill-supreme-court-seat-sources-say-1458136919 |title=Obama Picks Merrick Garland to Fill Supreme Court Seat |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Merrick Garland.jpg|thumb|Garland in 2016 as chief judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit]]]]

Garland served as co-chair of the administrative law section of the [[District of Columbia Bar]] from 1991 to 1994.<ref name="OfficialCongressionalDirectory" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Hon. Merrick B. Garland |url=https://fedsoc.org/contributors/merrick-garland |access-date=March 16, 2016|work=[[Federalist Society]]}}</ref> He is also a member of the [[American Law Institute]].<ref name="OfficialCongressionalDirectory" />

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.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 12, 2003|title=Harvard Board of Overseers announces election results|url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/06/harvard-board-of-overseers-announces-election-results/ |access-date=July 1, 2010|work=[[Harvard Gazette]]}}</ref> Garland served as president of the overseers for 2009–10.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 23, 2009|title=Board of Overseers elects senior officers|url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/04/board-of-overseers-elects-senior-officers/ |access-date=September 11, 2021 |work=[[Harvard Gazette]]}}</ref>

On September 6, 1995, President [[Bill Clinton]] nominated Garland to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia|U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia]] seat vacated by his longtime mentor [[Abner J. Mikva]].<ref name="WashPo3/27"/> Justice Brennan, for whom Garland clerked, recommended Garland for the position in a letter to Clinton.<ref name="Mauro"/> The [[American Bar Association]] (ABA) [[Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary]] unanimously gave Garland a "well-qualified" committee rating, its highest.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/federal_judicary/ratings105.pdf |title=Ratings of Article III Judicial Nominees (105th Congress) (1997–1998) |publisher=[[American Bar Association]] |work=ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary |year=1997 |access-date=March 1, 2012 }}</ref>

After winning the November 1996 presidential election, Clinton renominated Garland on January 7, 1997.<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=The White House |date=January 7, 1997 |title=President Nominates Twenty Two to the Federal Bench |url=https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1997/01/1997-01-07-names-of-twenty-two-for-federal-bench-resubmitted.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923160447/https://clintonwhitehouse6.archives.gov/1997/01/1997-01-07-names-of-twenty-two-for-federal-bench-resubmitted.html |archive-date=September 23, 2020 }}</ref> Garland's confirmation vote came to the floor of the Republican-controlled Senate on March 19, 1997. He was confirmed in a 76–23 vote and received his judicial commission the next day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00034 |title=U.S. Senate: Roll Call Vote: PN6 |date=January 27, 2015|publisher=U.S. Senate}}</ref> The majority of Republican senators voted to confirm Garland, including Senators [[John McCain]], [[Orrin Hatch]], [[Susan Collins]], and [[Jim Inhofe]].<ref name=PoliticoWheaton>{{cite news |last1=Wheaton|first1=Sarah|last2=Gerstein|first2=Josh|last3=Seung Min|first3=Kim|title=Obama picks Merrick Garland for Supreme Court|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/obama-to-announce-supreme-court-pick-at-11-am-220851 |access-date=March 16, 2016|work=Politico|date=March 16, 2016}}</ref> Senators [[Mitch McConnell]], [[Chuck Grassley]], and [[Jeff Sessions]] were among those who voted against Garland.<ref name=PoliticoWheaton/> All of the 23 "no" votes came from Republicans, and all were said to be based "on whether there was even a need for an eleventh seat" on the D.C. Circuit.<ref>{{cite book |first=Amy |last=Steigerwalt |title=Battle over the Bench: Senators, Interest Groups, and Lower Court Confirmations |publisher=[[University of Virginia Press]] |year=2010 |page=224 |isbn=9780813929989 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LU7Xs6Mf8EQC&pg=PA224 }}</ref><ref name="fjc.gov"/>

Garland became chief judge of the D.C. Circuit on February 12, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/home.nsf/content/VL+-+Judges+-+MBG |title=Merrick B. Garland |publisher=United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit |access-date=March 16, 2016 }}</ref> As chief judge, Garland announced in May 2013 that the D.C. Circuit had unanimously decided to provide the public with same-day audio recordings of [[oral argument]]s in the court.<ref name="RCFPMediaLaw"/><ref>{{cite web |first=Kelly |last=Cheung |url=https://blogs.findlaw.com/dc_circuit/2013/05/more-public-access-to-court-dc-to-release-oral-argument-audio.html |title=More Public Access to Court: D.C. to Release Oral Argument Audio |work=[[FindLaw]] |date=May 30, 2013 |access-date=June 20, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="fjc.gov"/> As chief judge, Garland was an active member of the [[Judicial Conference of the United States]],<ref name=PassesGavel>{{Cite web|title=Merrick Garland passes gavel to Sri Srinivasan to lead influential appeals court|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/merrick-garland-passes-gavel-to-sri-srinivasan-to-lead-influential-appeals-court/2020/02/13/2bb5e316-4e77-11ea-b721-9f4cdc90bc1c_story.html |access-date=September 11, 2021 |date=February 13, 2020|author=Ann E. Marimow}}</ref> and was involved in the formulation of new rules to protect federal judicial branch employees from workplace harassment, which were adopted in the wake of multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Judge [[Alex Kozinski]].<ref name=PassesGavel/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Federal judiciary leaders approve new rules to protect court employees from workplace harassment|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/federal-judiciary-leaders-approve-new-rules-to-protect-court-employees-from-workplace-harassment/2019/03/12/588a7208-44c3-11e9-8aab-95b8d80a1e4f_story.html|date=March 12, 2019|author=Ann E. Marimow}}</ref> Garland's seven-year term as chief judge ended on February 11, 2020, with Judge [[Sri Srinivasan]] succeeding him.<ref name=PassesGavel/> Garland continued to serve as an active member of the court.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/intranet/home.nsf/Content/Announcement+-+Chief+Judge+Succession+2020/$FILE/ChiefChangePressRelease2020.pdf|title=Press Release|publisher=United States Courts for the D.C. Circuit|date=February 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Merrick Garland's Time as Chief Judge of the DC Circuit Is Ending. Sri Srinivasan Is Up Next. |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2020/01/24/merrick-garlands-time-as-chief-judge-of-the-dc-circuit-is-ending-sri-srinivasan-is-up-next/ |last1=Thomsen |first1=Jacqueline |date=January 24, 2020 |website=National Law Journal |access-date=May 12, 2020 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109213714/https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2020/01/24/merrick-garlands-time-as-chief-judge-of-the-dc-circuit-is-ending-sri-srinivasan-is-up-next/?slreturn=20210009163712 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Garland is considered a judicial moderate and a [[Centrism|centrist]].<ref name="ShearHarris"/> 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".<ref name="ReputationCollegiality"/> [[Tom Goldstein]], the publisher of ''[[SCOTUSblog]]'', wrote in 2010 that "Judge Garland's record demonstrates that he is essentially the model, neutral judge. He is acknowledged by all to be brilliant. His opinions avoid unnecessary, sweeping pronouncements."<ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom"/> Garland has a reputation for collegiality and his opinions rarely draw a dissent.<ref name=BNA>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Tom P. |title=Garland Brings Centrist Flair to D.C. Circuit With Laissez-Faire Approach to Agency Action |url=http://www.bna.com/garland-brings-centrist-n57982068551/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318050740/http://www.bna.com/garland-brings-centrist-n57982068551/ |archive-date=March 18, 2016 |access-date=March 24, 2016|work=Bloomberg BNA United States Law Week |date=March 8, 2016}}</ref> As of 2016, Garland had written just fifteen dissents in his two decades on the court, fewer than his colleague Judge [[Brett Kavanaugh]], who wrote some 17 dissents over the previous decade.<ref name=BNA/>

Garland has tended to favor deference to regulatory agencies.<ref>{{cite news |first=David G. |last=Savage |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-garland-legal-analysis-20160318-story.html |title=Analysis: Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland has a record of restraint, not activism |work=Los Angeles Times |quote=Garland 'is almost always deferential to agency interpretations of statutes,' UCLA law professor Ann Carlson wrote |date=March 18, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref> For example, in ''In re Aiken County'' (2013), Garland dissented when the court issued [[mandamus]] ordering the [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] to process the [[Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository]] license.<ref>{{cite web |first=Rita Ann |last=Cicero |url=https://content.next.westlaw.com/Document/Idfa7a32415eb11e38578f7ccc38dcbee/View/FullText.html |title=D.C. Circuit orders completion of Yucca Mountain nuclear facility review |work=Westlaw Journal Environmental |publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]] |date=September 4, 2013 |access-date=September 30, 2013 }}</ref> In ''[[Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration]]'' (2013), Garland joined a divided court upholding the [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]]'s [[Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act|classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug]].<ref name=NYT1/> However, according to Goldstein, in a number of split decisions on [[environmental law]] Garland "favored contested EPA regulations and actions when challenged by industry, and in other cases he has accepted challenges brought by [[Environmentalism|environmental groups]]."<ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom"/> In ''Rancho Viejo, LLC v. Norton'' (2003), Garland found the [[arroyo toad]] was protected by the federal [[Endangered Species Act]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosen |first1=Jeffery |title=The Nomination of Merrick Garland is a Victory for Judicial Restraint |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/why-merrick-garland-is-a-judges-judge/474246/ |access-date=March 31, 2016 |work=The Atlantic |date=March 17, 2016}}</ref> Circuit Judge [[John Roberts]] dissented from the denial of rehearing [[en banc]], writing that Congress's [[interstate commerce]] power cannot reach "a hapless toad that, for reasons of its own, lives its entire life in California."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bravender|first1=Robin |title=Garland and the case of the 'hapless toad' |url=http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060034204 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320233929/http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060034204 |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=March 31, 2016 |work=Greenwire |date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>

While on the [[bench (law)|bench]], Garland has shown a tendency to be deferential to the government in criminal cases, siding with prosecutors in ten of the fourteen criminal cases in which he disagreed with a colleague.<ref name=NYTcriminal>{{cite news |last1=Savage |first1=Charlie |title=In Criminal Rulings, Garland Has Usually Sided With Law Enforcement |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/us/politics/merrick-garland-supreme-court-nominee.html?_r=0 |access-date=March 24, 2016|work=The New York Times |date=March 23, 2016 |page=A13}}</ref> For example, in ''United States v. Watson'' (1999), Garland dissented when the court concluded a prosecutor's closing argument was unduly [[Harmless error|prejudicial]], objecting that a conviction should be reversed for only "the most egregious of these kind of errors."<ref name=NYTcriminal/> In 2007, Garland dissented when the [[en banc]] D.C. Circuit reversed the conviction of a [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|Washington, D.C. police]] officer who had accepted bribes in an FBI sting operation.<ref name="WashPo3/18">{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Robert |title=The respectful disagreements of Judge Merrick Garland |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/the-respectful-disagreements-of-judge-merrick-garland/2016/03/18/7f8eee4e-ed17-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html |access-date=March 23, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 18, 2015}}</ref>

Garland has taken a broad view of [[whistleblower protection in the United States|whistleblower protection]] laws, such as the [[False Claims Act]] (FCA),<ref name="LoughranSwann">{{cite web |last1=Loughran |first1=Matthew |last2=Swann |first2=James |url=http://www.bna.com/judge-garland-good-n57982068731/ |title=Judge Garland Would Be Good for HHS, CMS, Attorneys Say |work=Bloomberg BNA |date=March 18, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref> which creates a private cause of action against those [[fraud|defrauding]] the federal government.<ref name="WashPo3/18"/> For example, in ''United States ex rel. Yesudian v. Howard University'' (1998), Garland wrote for the court in holding that a plaintiff alleging he had been fired by [[Howard University]] for whistleblowing could sue under the FCA for retaliation.<ref name=Goldstein2010PotentialNom/> In ''United States ex rel. Totten v. Bombardier Corp.'' (2004), Garland dissented when the court, in an opinion written by Judge John Roberts, held that the FCA did not apply to false claims submitted to Amtrak because Amtrak is not the government.<ref name="WashPo3/18"/><ref name="LoughranSwann"/> Roberts justified his narrow reading by citing a book by Circuit Judge [[Henry Friendly]].<ref>{{cite court |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17401514961045059989&hl=en&as_sdt=2006 |litigants=US ex rel. Totten v. Bombardier Corp. |vol=380 |reporter=F.3d |opinion=488 |court=D.C. Cir. |date=2004 }} (citing Henry J. Friendly, ''Benchmarks'' (1967)).</ref> In dissent, Garland (who like Roberts had clerked for Friendly), cited Friendly's book as supporting the use of [[legislative intent]],<ref name="WashPo3/18"/> writing that Roberts was relying on "'canons' of [[statutory construction]], which serve there as 'cannons' of statutory destruction."<ref name="LoughranSwann"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Palazzolo |first1=Joe |title=Judge Garland's Career in Dissent |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/law/2016/03/17/judge-garlands-career-in-dissent/ |access-date=March 23, 2016 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 17, 2016}}</ref> Garland's dissent, expressing concerns that the court's ruling would impede the government's ability to pursue false claims cases against federal grantees, is credited with sparking the [[Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009]], which eliminated the loophole.<ref name="LoughranSwann"/> During confirmation hearings in 2005, Senator Chuck Grassley sharply questioned Roberts on why he hadn't adopted Garland's reading.<ref name="WashPo3/18"/> Roberts replied, "Any time Judge Garland disagrees, you know you're in a difficult area."<ref name="WashPo3/18"/>

During Garland's tenure, the D.C. Circuit reviewed cases arising from the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]]. In ''[[al Odah v. United States]]'' (2003), a panel that included Garland unanimously held that federal courts could not hear challenges from Guantanamo detainees.<ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom"/> In July 2011, Garland wrote for the unanimous panel when it rejected Guantanamo detainee [[Moath Hamza Ahmed al Alawi]]'s petition for ''[[habeas corpus]]''.<ref>{{Bluebook journal |first=|last=Note|title=Recent Case: D.C. Circuit Holds the Government’s Authority Has Not Unraveled|volume=132 |journal=[[Harvard Law Review|Harv. L. Rev.]] | page=1542 | url=https://harvardlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1542-1549_Online.pdf| year=2019}}.</ref><ref>{{cite court|litigants=Al-Alwi v. Obama|vol=653|reporter=F3d|opinion=11|court=D.C. Cir.|date=2011|url= https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=11940843200338139849}}</ref> In ''[[Parhat v. Gates]]'' (2008), Garland wrote for a panel that unanimously overturned the [[Combatant Status Review Tribunal]]'s determination that a [[Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo Bay|captured Uyghur]] was an [[enemy combatant]].<ref name="NewYorkTimes20080624">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/washington/24combatant.html |title=Court Voids Finding on Guantánamo Detainee |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=William|last=Glaberson |date=June 24, 2008 |access-date=June 24, 2008}}</ref> In ''Saleh v. Titan Corp.'' (2009), Garland dissented from the court's holding that former Iraqi detainees at [[Abu Ghraib prison]] could not sue [[private military contractor]]s who participated in [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse|torture and prisoner abuse]]. 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.<ref>{{cite news |first=Warren |last=Richey |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/0627/Supreme-Court-declines-to-take-up-Abu-Ghraib-detainee-lawsuit |title=Supreme Court declines to take up Abu Ghraib detainee lawsuit |work=Christian Science Monitor |date=June 27, 2011 |access-date=July 1, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Mark |last=Gibney |chapter=Litigating Transnational Human Rights Obligations |title=Challenging Territoriality in Human Rights Law: Building Blocks for a Plural and Diverse Duty-Bearer Regime |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |editor-first=Wouter |editor-last=Vandenhole |page=103 |isbn=9781317628965 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKTwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 }}</ref><ref name="NYTCloseLook"/>

According to Goldstein, Garland has "tended to take a broader view" of [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights.<ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom"/> In cases involving the [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] and similar provisions related to [[government transparency]], "Judge Garland's rulings reflect a preference for open government."<ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom"/> In ''ACLU v. CIA'' (2013), Garland wrote for a panel unanimously rejecting the agency's [[Glomar response]] and ordering it to process the ACLU's FOIA request regarding [[targeted killing]]s by CIA drones.<ref name=rcfp>{{cite web|title=Judge Merrick Garland's media law cases|url=https://www.rcfp.org/garland/ |work=[[Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press]]|access-date=June 8, 2016|date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> In ''Cause of Action v. FTC'' (2015), Garland wrote for a panel unanimously overturning the agency's limitation on FOIA fee waivers to large [[news media|news outlets]].<ref name=rcfp/>

In ''Lee v. Department of Justice'' (2005), Garland dissented from the denial of rehearing en banc after the D.C. Circuit affirmed the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|district court]]'s order holding reporters in [[contempt of court]] for [[reporter's privilege|refusing to testify]] about their [[anonymous source]]s during the [[Wen Ho Lee]] investigation.<ref name="NYTCloseLook">{{cite news |last1=Liptak |first1=Adam |title=Where Merrick Garland Stands: A Close Look at His Judicial Record |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/us/politics/merrick-garlands-record-and-style-hint-at-his-appeal.html |access-date=March 24, 2016 |work=The New York Times |date=March 18, 2016 |page=A1}}</ref><ref name="AlmanancFedJudiciary">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PW0pzLlL2cC&pg=RA1-PA7 |title=Almanac of the Federal Judiciary |publisher=[[Aspen Publishers]] |year=2011 |volume=1 |page=7 |isbn=978-0735568891 }}</ref> Garland wrote that the panel had erred in failing to "[[Balancing test|weigh]] the public interest in protecting the reporter's sources against the private interest in compelling disclosure" and that the decision "undermined the Founders' intention to protect the press 'so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people.'"<ref name="AlmanancFedJudiciary"/> In ''Initiative & Referendum Institute v. U.S. Postal Service'' (2005), Garland wrote for the court, holding that a [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] regulation banning signature-gathering for [[petition]]s at post offices violated the First Amendment.<ref name="Goldstein2010PotentialNom"/><ref name="AlmanancFedJudiciary"/> Garland found the regulation to be [[Facial challenge|facially]] overbroad and not [[Narrow tailoring|narrowly tailored]].<ref name="AlmanancFedJudiciary"/>

In cases involving [[Campaign finance reform in the United States|campaign finance reform]] laws, Garland has applied ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]'' when he believed that he was compelled to do so, but he has not sought to extend its holding.<ref name="NYTCloseLook"/> In ''Wagner v. Federal Election Commission'' (2015), Garland wrote for the unanimous en banc D.C. Circuit in upholding a prohibition on campaign contributions from [[federal contractor]]s because of the governmental interest in preventing [[Political corruption|corruption]].<ref name="NYTCloseLook"/><ref name="HasenElectionLaw">{{cite web |first=Rick |last=Hasen |author-link=Rick Hasen |url=http://electionlawblog.org/?p=80981 |title=Judge Merrick Garland: A Moderate Liberal on Election Law Issues, With Questions About Boldness |work=Election Law Blog |date=March 17, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref> In ''[[National Association of Manufacturers]] v. Taylor'' (2009), Garland wrote for the court in a decision upholding the constitutionality of [[lobbyist]] disclosure requirements under the [[Honest Leadership and Open Government Act]].<ref name="RCFPMediaLaw">{{cite web |url=https://www.rcfp.org/judge-garland |title=Judge Merrick Garland's media law cases: A summary of First Amendment and Freedom of Information Act cases decided by U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland |publisher=Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press |date=March 18, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="HasenElectionLaw"/> Professor [[Richard L. Hasen|Rick Hasen]], an election-law expert, writes that Garland's opinions on election law are characterized by careful application of precedent and indicate that Garland believes in reasonable regulation.<ref name="HasenElectionLaw"/>

Garland has addressed a number of [[religious freedom]] cases while on the D.C. Circuit, although several of these have been decided on procedural grounds.<ref name="ReligiousFreedom">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/03/16/merrick-garlands-record-on-religious-freedom-cases-including-the-contraception-case-now-before-the-supreme-court/ |title=Merrick Garland's record on religious freedom cases, including the contraception case now before the Supreme Court |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Julie|last=Zauzmer |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016 }}</ref> In 2002, Garland joined a unanimous court in ruling for two federal prisoners who were denied the right to consume [[communion wine]].<ref name="ReligiousFreedom"/><ref>{{cite court |litigants=Levitan v. Ashcroft |url=https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/0F5CDE85D8BFCF3A85256F82005D20B9/%24file/00-5346a.txt |vol=281 |reporter=F.3d |opinion=1313 |court=[[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|D.C. Cir.]] |date=2002 }}</ref> In 2010, Garland wrote the decision for a unanimous court in favor of an Interior Department employee who brought a religious-discrimination claim after the Interior Department refused to allow her to work weekdays rather than Sunday, when she wished to attend church and [[Bible study (Christian)|Bible study]].<ref name="ReligiousFreedom"/><ref>{{cite court |url=https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/D71826B2C2A341D98525780700718A04/$file/09-5291-1264254.pdf |litigants=Payne v. Salazer |vol=619 |reporter=F.3d |opinion=561 |court=D.C. Cir. |year=2010 }}</ref>

Garland retired from federal judicial service on March 11, 2021, to accept appointment as the Attorney General of the United States.<ref name="fjc.gov">{{FJC Bio|nid=1381046|inline=yes|access-date=September 11, 2021|date-format=mdy}}</ref>

In 2009, following the announcement by Justice [[David Souter]] that he would retire, Garland was considered as one of nine finalists for the post, which ultimately went to [[Sonia Sotomayor]], then a judge of the Second Circuit.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter Baker (journalist) |last2=Nagourney |first2=Adam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/politics/28select.html |title=Sotomayor Pick a Product of Lessons From Past Battles |work=The New York Times |date=May 27, 2009 |access-date=June 1, 2009 |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316085646/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/us/politics/28select.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

After the April 2010 announcement by Justice [[John Paul Stevens]] that he would retire, Garland was again widely seen as a leading contender for a nomination to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-10-la-na-stevens-thumbs10-2010apr10-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |title=Profiles of three possible successors to Justice John Paul Stevens |date=April 10, 2010 |access-date=May 12, 2010 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109213717/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-10-la-na-stevens-thumbs10-2010apr10-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ariane |last=de Vogue |url=https://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9740077 |title=White House Prepares for Possibility of 2 Supreme Court Vacancies |work=ABC News |date=February 4, 2010 |access-date=March 1, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jess |last=Bravin |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703894304575047603606503576?mod=WSJ_newsreel_us |title=Democrats Divide on Voice of Possible Top-Court Pick |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=February 8, 2010 |access-date=March 1, 2010 }}</ref> President Obama interviewed Garland, among others, for the vacancy.<ref name="ShearHarris">{{cite news |first1=Michael D. |last1=Shear |first2=Gardiner |last2=Harris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee.html |title=Obama to Nominate Merrick Garland to Supreme Court |date=March 16, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316121409/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2010, Senator [[Orrin Hatch]], Republican of Utah, said he would help Obama if Garland was nominated, calling Garland "a consensus nominee" and predicting that Garland would win Senate confirmation with bipartisan support.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-hatch-idUSTRE6456QY20100506|title=Republican would back Garland for Supreme Court|date=May 6, 2010|work=Reuters|first=Thomas|last=Ferraro|access-date=March 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Burr |first=Thomas |date=March 16, 2016 |title=White House notes Hatch called Supreme Court nominee a 'consensus' pick in 2010 |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3670228&itype=CMSID |newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune |location=Salt Lake City |access-date=March 16, 2016}}</ref> Obama nominated [[Solicitor General of the United States]] [[Elena Kagan]], who was confirmed in August 2010.<ref name="ShearHarris" />

On February 13, 2016, Supreme Court Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] died.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/us/politics/three-more-judges-said-to-be-vetted-for-supreme-court.html |title=Three More Judges Said to be Vetted for Supreme Court |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Julie|last=Hirschfeld Davis |date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=August 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824165143/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/us/politics/three-more-judges-said-to-be-vetted-for-supreme-court.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Later that day, Senate Republicans led by Majority Leader [[Mitch McConnell]] issued a statement that they would not consider any nominee put forth by Obama, and that a [[Nomination and confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court nomination]] should be left to the next president of the United States.<ref name="politico160213">{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/mitch-mcconnell-antonin-scalia-supreme-court-nomination-219248 |title=McConnell throws down the gauntlet: No Scalia replacement under Obama |date=February 13, 2016 |newspaper=Politico |first=Burgess |last=Everett |access-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919045954/https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/mitch-mcconnell-antonin-scalia-supreme-court-nomination-219248 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Chait |author-link=Jonathan Chait |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/02/senate-court-blockade-has-never-happened-before.html |title=No, the Senate's Supreme Court Blockade Has Never Happened in American History |work=New York |date=February 23, 2016 |access-date=March 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McAuliff |first1=Michael |first2=Jennifer |last2=Bendery |author-link2=Jennifer Bendery |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lindsey-graham-supreme-court-blockade_n_56e1a57fe4b065e2e3d504b4 |title=Republican Admits Supreme Court Blockade Is Unprecedented |work=The Huffington Post |date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=March 30, 2016 }}</ref> President Obama responded that he intended to "fulfill my constitutional duty to appoint a judge to our highest court,"<ref>{{cite web |first=Barack |last=Obama |url=https://www.scotusblog.com/2016/02/a-responsibility-i-take-seriously/ |title=A Responsibility I Take Seriously |work=SCOTUSBlog |date=February 24, 2016 |access-date=March 1, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Liptak |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/25/us/politics/obama-scotus-post-nominee-translated.html |title=Obama's Scotusblog Post: Reading Between the Lines |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 24, 2016 |access-date=March 1, 2016 }}</ref> and that there was no "well established tradition" that a president could not fill a Supreme Court vacancy during their last year in office.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ramsey |first=David |url=https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2016/02/24/president-obama-responds-to-mitch-mcconnell-on-supreme-court-vacancy |title=President Obama responds to Mitch McConnell on Supreme Court vacancy |work=[[Arkansas Times]] |date=February 24, 2016 |access-date=March 1, 2016 |quote=The one thing I think is important to dispel is any notion that somehow that this is some well established tradition, or some constitutional principle, that a president in his last year in office cannot fill a Supreme Court vacancy. }}</ref>

In early March 2016, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that Garland was being vetted by the Obama Administration as a potential nominee. 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, and Judge [[Paul J. Watford]] of the Ninth Circuit). Obama interviewed all three leading contenders, as well as two others who were being considered: Judge [[Jane L. Kelly]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit]] and Judge [[Ketanji Brown Jackson]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Nina |last=Totenberg |author-link=Nina Totenberg |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/03/08/469722360/president-obama-meets-with-supreme-court-candidates |title=President Obama Meets With Supreme Court Candidates |publisher=NPR |date=March 8, 2016 |access-date=March 30, 2016 }}</ref> Soon afterward, Senator [[Orrin Hatch]], [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate]] and the most senior Republican Senator, predicted that President Obama would "name someone the liberal Democratic base wants" even though he "could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Orrin Hatch once said there was "no question" Merrick Garland could be confirmed to the Supreme Court. |url=https://newrepublic.com/minutes/131676/orrin-hatch-said-no-question-merrick-garland-confirmed-supreme-court|last=Shepherd |first=Alex |access-date=September 11, 2021 |date=March 16, 2016 |magazine=[[The New Republic]]}}</ref> Five days later, on March 16, Obama formally nominated Garland to the vacant post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.<ref name="NYTAnnouncement">{{cite news |first1=Michael D. |last1=Shear |first2=Gardiner |last2=Harris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee.html |title=Obama Chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court |date=March 16, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316121409/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-nominee.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Juliet |last1=Eilperin |first2=Mike |last2=DeBonis |first3=Jerry |last3=Markon |title=President Obama nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 16, 2016 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/president-obama-to-nominate-merrick-garland-to-the-supreme-court-sources-say/2016/03/16/3bc90bc8-eb7c-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html |access-date=September 11, 2021}}</ref>

Garland had more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history,<ref name=PoliticoWheaton/> and was the oldest Supreme Court nominee since [[Lewis F. Powell Jr.]] in 1971.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Oliver |last1=Roeder |title=Merrick Garland Is The Oldest Supreme Court Nominee Since Nixon Was President |work=[[FiveThirtyEight]] |date=March 16, 2016 |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/merrick-garland-age-supreme-court/ |access-date=September 11, 2021}}</ref> The [[American Bar Association]] (ABA) [[Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary]] unanimously rated Garland "well-qualified" (its highest rating) to sit on the Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/web-rating-chart-114.pdf |access-date=September 11, 2021 |title=Ratings of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees (114th Congress) |publisher=[[American Bar Association]] Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary |year=2016}}</ref>

Under [[Senate Majority Leader]] [[Mitch McConnell]], the Senate's Republican majority refused to consider Garland's nomination, holding "no hearings, no votes, no action whatsoever" on the nomination.<ref>{{cite web |first=Nina |last=Totenberg |author-link=Nina Totenberg |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/09/06/492857860/173-days-and-counting-gop-unlikely-to-end-blockade-on-garland-nomination-soon |title=170-Plus Days And Counting: GOP Unlikely To End Supreme Court Blockade Soon |work=[[NPR]] |date=September 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930134026/https://www.npr.org/2016/09/06/492857860/173-days-and-counting-gop-unlikely-to-end-blockade-on-garland-nomination-soon |archive-date=September 30, 2018 |access-date=September 11, 2021}}</ref><ref name=LiptakUnprecedented>{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Liptak |author-link=Adam Liptak |access-date=September 11, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/14/us/politics/obama-supreme-court-merrick-garland.html |title=Study Calls Snub of Obama's Supreme Court Pick Unprecedented |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 14, 2016 |quote=After a comprehensive look at every past Supreme Court vacancy, two law professors have concluded that it is an unprecedented development{{nbs}}... That categorical stance is new in the nation's history, the professors, Robin Bradley Kar and Jason Mazzone, wrote in a study published online by The [[New York University Law Review]].}}</ref><ref name="mcconnell_on_supreme_court_nomination_2016_03_16">{{cite web |url=https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/remarks/mcconnell-on-supreme-court-nomination |first=Mitch |last=McConnell |author-link=Mitch McConnell |title=McConnell On Supreme Court Nomination |date=March 16, 2016 |work=republicanleader.senate.gov |access-date=September 21, 2020 }}</ref> McConnell's categorical refusal to hold hearings on Garland's nomination was described by political scientists and legal scholars as unprecedented,<ref name=LiptakUnprecedented/><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Schier |first1=Steven E. |isbn=9781538105757 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CgY3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA71 |title=The Trump Presidency: Outsider in the Oval Office |last2=Eberly |first2=Todd E. |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2017 |page=71 |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911171105/https://books.google.com/books?id=CgY3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA71 |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Handelsman Shugerman|first=Jed|title=Constitutional Hardball vs. Beanball: Identifying Fundamentally Antidemocratic Tactics|url=https://columbialawreview.org/content/hardball-vs-beanball-identifying-fundamentally-antidemocratic-tactics/ |year=2019 |volume=119|number=3|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530123602/https://columbialawreview.org/content/hardball-vs-beanball-identifying-fundamentally-antidemocratic-tactics/|archive-date=May 30, 2019|access-date=May 30, 2019|website=[[Columbia Law Review]] |language=en}}</ref> McConnell's choice to lead a Republican blockade of the nomination was described as a "culmination of <nowiki>[his]</nowiki> confrontational style,"<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319410326#aboutBook|title=The Obama Presidency and the Politics of Change|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2017|editor-last=Ashbee|editor-first=Edward|pages=55, 62|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-41033-3|isbn=978-3-319-41032-6|access-date=October 6, 2018|editor-last2=Dumbrell|editor-first2=John|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130202254/https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319410326#aboutBook|archive-date=November 30, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and an example of [[constitutional hardball]].<ref name=":12">{{cite news |last1=Fishkin |first1=Joseph |last2=Pozen |first2=David E. |date=2018 |title=Asymmetric Constitutional Hardball |work=Columbia Law Review |volume=118 |number=3 |url=https://columbialawreview.org/content/asymmetric-constitutional-hardball/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119095233/https://columbialawreview.org/content/asymmetric-constitutional-hardball/ |archive-date=January 19, 2019 |access-date=September 11, 2021}}</ref> [[Yascha Mounk]] called it a "blatant abuse of constitutional norms."<ref name=":10">{{cite web |last=Mounk |first=Yascha |date=2018 |title=The People vs. Democracy |url=https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674976825 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127131526/http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674976825 |archive-date=November 27, 2018 |access-date=March 14, 2019 |publisher=Harvard University Press}}</ref>

After a period of 293 days, Garland's nomination expired on January 3, 2017, at the end of the [[114th United States Congress|114th Congress]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Jess |last=Bravin |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/president-obamas-supreme-court-nomination-of-merrick-garland-expires-1483463952 |title=President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination of Merrick Garland Expires |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=January 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310012617/https://www.wsj.com/articles/president-obamas-supreme-court-nomination-of-merrick-garland-expires-1483463952 |access-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-date=March 10, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was the longest confirmation delay of a Supreme Court nominee in history, far exceeding the 125-day delay faced by the ultimately confirmed Justice Louis Brandeis in 1916.<ref name=LongestDelay>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Phillip |date=July 18, 2016 |title=Obama's SCOTUS Nominee Suffers Longest Confirmation Delay in History |url=https://progresstexas.org/blog/obamas-scotus-nominee-suffers-longest-confirmation-delay-history|access-date=January 22, 2021 |publisher=Progress Texas}}</ref> On January 31, 2017, President [[Donald Trump]] nominated [[Neil Gorsuch]] to fill the Court vacancy.<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-picks-colo-appeals-court-judge-neil-gorsuch-for-supreme-court/2017/01/31/2b08a226-e55e-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html|title=Trump picks Colo. appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court |last=Barnes |first=Robert |date=January 31, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201013448/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-picks-colo-appeals-court-judge-neil-gorsuch-for-supreme-court/2017/01/31/2b08a226-e55e-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On April 7, 2017, the Senate confirmed Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court.

McConnell went on to boast about stopping Garland's nomination, saying in August 2016, "one of my proudest moments was when I looked Barack Obama in the eye and I said, 'Mr. President, you will not fill the Supreme Court vacancy.'"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scarce |first1=Ed |title=Mitch McConnell: Proud Moment When I Told Obama 'You Will Not Fill This Supreme Court Vacancy'|url=https://crooksandliars.com/2016/08/mitch-mcconnell-mitch-mcconnell-proud|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712030142/https://crooksandliars.com/2016/08/mitch-mcconnell-mitch-mcconnell-proud |date=August 9, 2016 |archive-date=July 12, 2018|access-date=August 2, 2018|work=Crooks and Liars}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Roarty |first1=Alex|date=August 8, 2016|title=Tea Party-Aligned Kentucky Gov May End 95-Year Democratic Reign|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2016/08/06/tea-party-aligned-kentucky-gov-may-end-95-year-democratic-reign/ |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822072110/http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/34561-2|archive-date=August 22, 2016|access-date=August 21, 2016|publisher=rollcall.com}}</ref> In April 2018, McConnell said the decision not to act upon the Garland nomination was "the most consequential decision I've made in my entire public career".<ref>{{Cite news|author=Alford, Roger|date=April 3, 2018|title=McConnell on midterm elections: 'The wind is going to be in our face'|language=en|work=Kentucky Today|url=https://kentuckytoday.com/stories/mcconnell-on-elections-the-wind-is-going-to-be-in-our-face,12674 |url-status=live|access-date=April 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404231010/http://kentuckytoday.com/stories/mcconnell-on-elections-the-wind-is-going-to-be-in-our-face,12674|archive-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>

President-elect [[Joe Biden]] selected Garland for the position of [[United States attorney general]], with news of the selection coming on January 6, 2021.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Judge Merrick Garland, Attorney General |url=https://buildbackbetter.gov/nominees-and-appointees/merrick-garland/ |website=[[Presidential transition of Joe Biden|Buildbackbetter.gov]] |access-date=January 7, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107150808/https://buildbackbetter.gov/nominees-and-appointees/merrick-garland/ |archive-date=January 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first1=Jess|last1=Bravin|first2=Sadie|last2=Gurman|first3=Aruna|last3=Viswanatha|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-to-name-appeals-court-judge-merrick-garland-as-attorney-general-11609954069|title=Biden to Name Merrick Garland as Attorney General|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=January 6, 2021}}</ref> He was formally nominated by Biden on January 20, after [[Inauguration of Joe Biden|Biden took office]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/78/7 |title=PN78-7{{snd}}Merrick Brian Garland{{snd}}Department of Justice |work=117th Congress |date=March 10, 2021 |via=Congress.gov |access-date=September 11, 2021 }}</ref> In [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] confirmation hearings, Garland vowed to oversee vigorous prosecution of those who [[2021 storming of the United States Capitol|stormed the United States Capitol]], and other domestic extremists, drawing on his experience prosecuting the perpetrators of the [[Oklahoma City bombing]].<ref name=GarlandConfirmed>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/us/politics/merrick-garland-attorney-general-confirmation.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/us/politics/merrick-garland-attorney-general-confirmation.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|newspaper=The New York Times|title=Merrick Garland Is Confirmed as Attorney General|first=Katie|last=Benner|date=March 10, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name=Pengelly>{{Cite web|first=Martin|last=Pengelly|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/21/merrick-garland-white-supremacists-attorney-general-senate-judiciary-hearing |access-date=September 11, 2021 |title=Merrick Garland vows to target white supremacists as attorney general|newspaper=The Guardian|date=February 21, 2021}}</ref><ref name=APSharp>{{Cite web|first1=Eric|last1=Tucker|first2=Mary Clare|last2=Jalonick|first3=Michael|last3=Balsamo|url=https://apnews.com/article/merrick-garland-confirmation-hearing-b5f03bc4ab13c8e42bb9994e7b2765d6 |access-date=September 12, 2021 |work=Associated Press|title=Garland vows sharp focus on Capitol riot as attorney general|date=February 23, 2021}}</ref> 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."<ref name=APSharp/> He pledged to protect [[equal justice under law]] and reinvigorate the [[Civil Rights Division|DOJ Civil Rights Division]], which, according to some media figures, languished under the [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]].<ref name=Pengelly/><ref>{{cite web|first1=Jan|last1=Wolfe|first2=Sarah N.|last2=Lynch|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-senate-justice/bidens-attorney-general-nominee-garland-vows-to-prioritize-civil-rights-idUSKBN2AL02W|title=Biden's attorney general nominee Garland vows to prioritize civil rights|work=Reuters|date=February 20, 2021|accessdate=March 11, 2021}}</ref> Garland affirmed that the Justice Department would remain independent under his leadership.<ref name=APSharp/> The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 15–7 to advance Garland's nomination to the Senate floor,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Senate committee advances Merrick Garland's nomination for attorney general|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-committee-advances-garland-nomination-attorney-general-n1259139 |date=March 1, 2021 |access-date=March 1, 2021|website=NBC News|first=Rebecca|last=Shabad|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Higgins|first=Tucker|date=March 1, 2021|title=Merrick Garland's nomination to be attorney general advances to full Senate|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/01/merrick-garland-attorney-general-nomination-advances-in-the-senate.html|access-date=March 10, 2021|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref> and on March 10, the Senate confirmed Garland's nomination by a vote of 70–30.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=117&session=1&vote=00114 |title=On the Nomination (Confirmation: Merrick Brian Garland, of Maryland, to be Attorney General) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 10, 2021 |website=U.S. Senate |access-date=March 11, 2021}}</ref><ref name="GarlandConfirmed" /><ref>{{Cite web|first=Alex|last=Rogers|date=March 10, 2021|title=Senate confirms Merrick Garland as attorney general|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/10/politics/garland-senate-confirmation-vote/index.html|access-date=March 11, 2021|work=[[CNN]]|language=en}}</ref> He was sworn in on March 11, 2021, by Assistant Attorney General for Administration Lee Lofthus.<ref name="SwornIn">{{Cite tweet |number=1370023440904716291 |user=TheJusticeDept |title=Judge Merrick Garland takes his oath of office as the 86th Attorney General of the United States as he is sworn in by Assistant Attorney General for Administration Lee Lofthus. |date=March 11, 2021 |access-date=March 11, 2021}}</ref>

 

In April 2021, Russia imposed sanctions against Garland, including prohibiting him from entering Russia. This was in retaliation for U.S. expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats, a sanction imposed by the United States against Russia for its [[SolarWinds hack]], [[Russo-Ukrainian War|aggression against Ukraine]], and [[Russian interference in the 2020 United States elections|interference in the 2020 U.S. election]].<ref>{{cite news |date=April 16, 2021 |title=Russia retaliates for US diplomatic expulsions |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56779433 |access-date=September 11, 2021}}</ref>

In May 2021, the DOJ appealed in part a ruling by Judge [[Amy Berman Jackson]] of the [[District Court for the District of Columbia]] to make public most of a DOJ memo detailing former Attorney General [[William Barr|Bill Barr]]'s legal rationale for clearing President Trump of [[obstruction of justice]] in the [[Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019)|Special Counsel investigation]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Perez|first=Evan|date=July 28, 2021|title=Liberals may end up liking much of Garland's Justice Department after all|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/politics/garland-justice-department/index.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Benner|first=Katie|date=July 9, 2021|title=Garland Settles In but Trump Era Still Shadows the Justice Dept.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/us/politics/merrick-garland-justice-department.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Savage|first=Charlie|date=May 25, 2021|title=The Justice Dept. will fight to keep secret most of a Barr-era memo on whether Trump obstructed the Russia inquiry.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/us/politics/trump-obstruction-barr-russia.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Schmidt|first=Michael S.|date=May 4, 2021|title=Judge Says Barr Misled on How His Justice Dept. Viewed Trump's Actions|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/us/politics/barr-trump-obstruction-russia-inquiry.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504232454/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/us/politics/barr-trump-obstruction-russia-inquiry.html |archive-date=2021-05-04 |url-access=limited|access-date=July 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On June 7, 2021, the Justice Department continued its defense of a defamation lawsuit by [[E. Jean Carroll]], arguing that President Trump could not be sued because he had denied her rape allegation in offending statements in his presidential capacity. Garland had been deeply involved in the decision. The White House quickly distanced itself from the decision.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Feuer|first1=Alan|last2=Weiser|first2=Benjamin|date=June 8, 2021|title=Biden Justice Department Seeks to Defend Trump in Suit Over Rape Denial|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/nyregion/trump-jean-carroll-lawsuit.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Garland in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on October 21 stated that the DOJ's briefing was solely on the question of the application of the [[Federal Tort Claims Act]].<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|last=Sneed|first=Tierney|title=Takeaways from Merrick Garland's hearing with the House Judiciary Committee|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/21/politics/garland-house-judiciary-testimony-takeaways/index.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=CNN}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web|first=Tierney |last=Sneed|title=Garland: DOJ 'will apply the facts and the law' when considering Bannon referral|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/21/politics/garland-house-judiciary-hearing-oversight/index.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=CNN}}</ref>

On July 1, Garland imposed a moratorium on all [[Capital punishment by the United States federal government|federal executions]] pending a review of relevant policies and procedures.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|date=July 1, 2021|title=Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Imposes a Moratorium on Federal Executions; Orders Review of Policies and Procedures|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-imposes-moratorium-federal-executions-orders-review|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}}</ref> The review will examine "the risk of pain and suffering associated with the use of [[pentobarbital]]," "regulations made in November 2020 that expanded the permissible methods of execution beyond lethal injection, and authorized the use of state facilities and personnel in federal executions", and "December 2020 and January 2021 changes to expedite execution of capital sentences."<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Swanson|first=Ian|date=July 1, 2021|title=Garland imposes moratorium on federal executions|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/561255-garland-imposes-moratorium-on-federal-executions|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=TheHill|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last1=Lynch|first1=Sarah N.|last2=Beech|first2=Eric|date=July 1, 2021|title=U.S. attorney general imposes moratorium on federal executions|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-attorney-general-imposes-moratorium-federal-executions-2021-07-01/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=Reuters}}</ref> This was consistent with Biden's pledge to push for legislation to end the [[federal death penalty]]. The Trump administration resumed federal executions in 2019, and executed 13 inmates in total, the first in 17 years and including the first woman in 70 years.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />

During Garland's tenure as AG, the Justice Department has emphasized protection of civil rights.<ref name="Balsamo">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Balsamo |url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-merrick-garland-jeff-sessions-police-local-governments-075b33730688fe6151f25d76da034413 |title=Garland rescinds Trump-era memo curtailing consent decrees |work=Associated Press |date=April 17, 2021 |access-date=September 11, 2021 }}</ref> Garland rescinded a Trump administration policy (imposed by [[Jeff Sessions]]) that curtailed DOJ investigations into police department misconduct ("pattern-and-practice" investigations) and restricted the use of [[consent decree]]s to [[Police reform|reform police departments]].<ref name="Balsamo" /><ref>{{cite news |first=Katie |last=Benner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/16/us/politics/justice-department-consent-decrees.html |title=Justice Dept. Restores Use of Consent Decrees for Police Abuses |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 16, 2021 |access-date=September 11, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first1=Christina |last1=Carrega |first2=Devan |last2=Cole |title=DOJ opens investigation into how Phoenix Police Department treats city's homeless residents |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/05/politics/phoenix-justice-garland/index.html |date=August 5, 2021 |access-date=August 6, 2021|website=CNN}}</ref>

On April 21, Garland subsequently announced that the DOJ was opening a pattern-and-practice investigation into the [[Minneapolis Police Department]] after former officer [[Derek Chauvin]] was [[Trial of Derek Chauvin|convicted]] for the [[murder of George Floyd]], examining the use of force by officers and discriminatory conduct, its treatment of people with [[behavioral health]] issues, and the department's current accountability systems.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-21|title=Garland announces sweeping police probe after Floyd verdict|url=https://apnews.com/article/george-floyd-verdict-police-reform-DOJ-e24dd1a390a781af3495fa1e0271f492 |first1=Michael |last1=Balsamo |first2=Amy |last2=Forliti |access-date=2021-10-15|website=AP News|language=en}}</ref> On April 26, Garland announced another investigation into the [[Louisville Metro Police Department]] in the aftermath of the [[killing of Breonna Taylor]], examining the execution of search warrants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2nd Police Department Under Investigation Following Chauvin Conviction|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_2nd-police-department-under-investigation-following-chauvin-conviction/6205088.html |first=Masood |last=Farivar |date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=2021-10-15|website=VOA|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=AG Garland announces investigation of Louisville PD's policing practices|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ag-garland-expected-announce-investigation-louisville-pds-policing/story?id=77319848|access-date=2021-10-15|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> On August 5, Garland opened another investigation into the [[Phoenix Police Department]] over its policies on dealing with the homeless.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Justice Dept. opens civil rights investigation into Phoenix police department|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/phonenix-police-justice-investigation/2021/08/05/ed7918ba-f619-11eb-a49b-d96f2dac0942_story.html|access-date=2021-10-15|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-05|title=Justice Department Announces Investigation of the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-investigation-city-phoenix-and-phoenix-police-department|access-date=2021-10-15|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}}</ref> On December 3, the DOJ opened another investigation into the [[Mount Vernon Police Department (New York)|Mount Vernon Police Department]] to assess if it engaged in discriminatory policing, involving its use of force, strip and body cavity searches, how it handles evidence, and its systems of accountability.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-03|title=Justice Department Launches Investigation of the Mount Vernon Police Department|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-investigation-mount-vernon-police-department|access-date=2021-12-10|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Reimann|first=Nicholas|title=Feds Launch Sweeping Probe Of Suburban N.Y. Police Department Over Discrimination Claims|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/12/03/feds-launch-sweeping-probe-of-suburban-ny-police-department-over-discrimination-claims/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>

In June, the DOJ, through a memo issued by Deputy Attorney General [[Lisa Monaco]], reversed a Trump-era policy that banned federal officers and agents from using [[body-worn camera]]s; the memo also mandated the use of body-worn cameras for federal law enforcement in certain circumstances (including when carrying out planned arrests or executing [[search warrant]]s).<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Christina |last1=Carrega |first2=Josh |last2=Campbell |title=DOJ ends policy that prohibited federal officers from using body-worn cameras|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/07/politics/body-cameras-justice-department/index.html |date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-16|website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Justice Dept. will require its law enforcement officers to use body cameras in certain circumstances |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/body-cameras-justice-department/2021/06/07/127f86c2-c7f7-11eb-a11b-6c6191ccd599_story.html |date=June 7, 2021 |first=Matt |last=Zapotosky |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-01|title=Justice Department Announces First Federal Agents to Use Body-Worn Cameras|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-first-federal-agents-use-body-worn-cameras|access-date=2021-09-16|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}}</ref>

On September 14, the DOJ announced a civil investigation into prisons in Georgia, focusing on prison violence and sexual abuse of LGBTQ prisoners by prisoners and staff, continuing with an initial investigation launched in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Christina |last=Carrega|title=Justice Department announces investigation into Georgia prisons|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/us/georgia-prisons-justice-department-investigation/index.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=[[CNN]] |date=September 14, 2021}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|first=Tierney |last=Sneed|title='Big, big shifts': How Biden's civil rights pros have reoriented the Justice Department|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/20/politics/doj-biden-civil-rights-policies-texas-georgia-investigations/index.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-14|title=Justice Department Announces Investigation into Conditions in Georgia Prisons|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/justice-department-announces-investigation-conditions-georgia-prisons|access-date=2021-10-21|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}}</ref>

In September, the DOJ in a memo limited the use of [[chokehold|chokeholds and carotid restraints]] by federal officers during arrests, prohibiting such tactics unless deadly force is authorized (i.e., unless the officer reasonably believes "that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person"). The memo also limited the use of unannounced ("[[no-knock]]") entries when executing warrants, directing officers to [[knock-and-announce]] except "where an agent has reasonable grounds to believe that knocking and announcing the agent’s presence would create an imminent threat of physical violence to the agent and/or another person."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-14|title=Department of Justice Announces Department-Wide Policy on Chokeholds and 'No-Knock' Entries|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-announces-department-wide-policy-chokeholds-and-no-knock-entries|access-date=2021-09-16|website=www.justice.gov|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Christina Carrega and Peter Nickeas|title=Justice Department limits use of chokeholds and 'no-knock' warrants|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/justice-chokeholds-no-knock-warrant/index.html|access-date=2021-09-16|website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Emma Tucker|title=Bans on chokeholds for federal officers latest in nationwide push to hold police to a 'higher standard'|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/15/us/police-accountability-george-floyd/index.html|access-date=2021-09-16|website=CNN|date=September 15, 2021}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On July 28, the DOJ further rejected [[U.S. Representative|Rep.]] [[Mo Brooks]]'s request to protect him in [[Eric Swalwell]]'s civil lawsuit against him and President Trump concerning his comments and actions in the attack. The DOJ in a court filing determined that Brooks' relevant comments and actions were outside the scope of his official responsibilities as a member of Congress.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Marshall|last2=Sneed|first2=Tierney|date=July 28, 2021|title=DOJ won't protect GOP Rep. Mo Brooks in insurrection lawsuit|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/politics/mo-brooks-lawsuit-doj/index.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref>

 

On October 21, the [[United States House of Representatives|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]]. After [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker]] [[Nancy Pelosi]] certified the contempt referral, it was sent to the [[United States Attorney for the District of Columbia|U.S. Attorney for DC]], who will then decide whether to send the referral to a grand jury for indictment, with Garland having the final say.<ref name=":15">{{Cite news |first1=Clare |last1=Foran |first2=Zachary |last2=Cohen |first3=Ryan |last3=Nobles |date=October 21, 2021 |title=House votes to hold Steve Bannon in contempt for defying subpoena|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/21/politics/steve-bannon-house-contempt-vote/index.html|access-date=2021-10-21|website=CNN}}</ref> Garland told lawmakers that the Justice Department "will apply the facts and the law and make a decision" when considering a criminal contempt referral for Bannon. He stated that "the Department of Justice will do what it always does in such circumstances, we'll apply the facts and the law and make a decision, consistent with the principles of prosecution."<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":15" /><ref>{{Cite news |first1=Tierney |last1=Sneed |first2=Jessica |last2=Schneider |title=Bannon contempt vote puts Attorney General Merrick Garland in center of legal and political storm |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/20/politics/garland-bannon-criminal-referral-house-january-6/index.html |date=October 20, 2021 |access-date=2021-10-21|website=CNN}}</ref>

Garland and his wife, Lynn, were married at the [[Harvard Club of New York|Harvard Club]] in [[Manhattan]] in September 1987. Lynn Rosenman Garland's grandfather, [[Samuel Irving Rosenman]], was a justice of the [[New York Supreme Court]] (a trial-level court) and a special counsel to presidents [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and [[Harry S. Truman]]. She graduated from the [[Brearley School]] in Manhattan and cum laude from Harvard University and received a Master of Science degree in operations management from the [[MIT Sloan School of Management]]. Her father, Robert Rosenman, was a partner in the New York law firm of [[Cravath, Swaine & Moore]].<ref name="nytimesref" /> As of June 2018, she advised government and nonprofit groups on voting systems security and accuracy issues.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|date=2018-06-17|title=Rebecca Garland, Xan Tanner|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/fashion/weddings/rebecca-garland-xan-tanner.html|access-date=2021-10-09|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

 

Garland and his wife have two daughters, Rebecca and Jessica; both are graduates of [[Yale University]].<ref name="WhoIsGarland">{{cite news |first1=Reena |last1=Flores |first2=Rebecca|last2=Shabad |title=Who is Merrick Garland? |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-is-merrick-garland/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316235951/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-is-merrick-garland/ |archive-date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 16, 2016 |work=CBS News |date=March 16, 2016}}</ref> Justice [[Elena Kagan]] hired Jessica Garland, a 2019 graduate of [[Yale Law School]], as one of her law clerks in early July 2020, before Biden's election and Garland's appointment, to serve as a law clerk in 2022–2023. The Supreme Court said that "in light of the potential for actual or apparent conflicts of interest," Jessica Garland will not serve as Kagan's law clerk while her father remains as attorney general.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Scarcella|first=Mike|date=2021-07-20|title=AG Garland's daughter won't clerk at SCOTUS while dad's in office|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ag-garlands-daughter-wont-clerk-scotus-while-dads-office-2021-07-20/|access-date=2021-10-09}}</ref> Garland took part in the ceremony when his daughter Rebecca married Xan Tanner in June 2018.<ref name=":9" />

Garland is a resident of [[Bethesda, Maryland]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Metcalf |url=https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/politics/obama-nominates-bethesda-resident-merrick-garland-to-serve-on-us-supreme-court/ |title=Obama Nominates Bethesda Resident Merrick Garland to Serve on U.S. Supreme Court |work=Bethesda Magazine |date=March 16, 2016 |access-date=March 30, 2016 }}</ref> Financial disclosure forms in 2016 indicated that Garland's net worth at the time was between $6 million and $23 million.<ref name="NYT 3/27" /> Garland is partially [[Color blindness|colorblind]], so he uses a list to match his suits and ties.<ref name="NYT 3/27" />

* {{cite journal |doi=10.2307/1340869 |jstor=1340869 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/160249399.pdf |title=Deregulation and Judicial Review |last1=Garland |first1=Merrick B. |journal=Harvard Law Review |year=1985 |volume=98 |issue=3 |pages=505–591 }}

* {{cite journal |doi=10.2307/796386|jstor=796386|title=Antitrust and Federalism: A Response to Professor Wiley|last1=Garland|first1=Merrick B.|journal=The Yale Law Journal|year=1987|volume=96|issue=6|pages=1291–1295|url=https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7078&context=ylj |author-mask=3}}

* {{cite journal |doi=10.2307/796502|jstor=796502|title=Antitrust and State Action: Economic Efficiency and the Political Process|last1=Garland|first1=Merrick B.|journal=The Yale Law Journal|year=1987|volume=96|issue=3|pages=486–519|url=https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7053&context=ylj |author-mask=3}}

* {{cite news |last1=Garland|first1=Merrick B. |title=Courts Give Deregulatory Policies New Hard Look |work=Legal Times |date=April 22, 1985 |volume=8 |number=32 |author-mask=3}}

* {{cite book |last1=Garland|first1=Merrick B. |author-link2=Robert Pitofsky |first2=Robert |last2=Pitofsky |chapter=Chapter 48: Federal Trade Commission Investigations |title=Antitrust Counseling and Litigation Techniques |volume=4 |editor-first=Julian O. |editor-last=von Kalinowski |year=1984 |location=New York |publisher=Bender |oclc=917754819|author-mask=3}}

* {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/20/opinion/the-court-veto-and-airbags.html |first1=James F. |last1=Fitzpatrick |first2=Merrick B. |last2=Garland |title=The Court, 'Veto' and Airbags |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 20, 1983 |access-date=September 11, 2021 }}

* {{cite journal |doi=10.2307/1340306 |jstor=1340306 |title=The Supreme Court, 1975 Term: Commercial Speech |last1=Garland |first1=Merrick B. |journal=Harvard Law Review |year=1976 |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=142 }}

* {{cite journal |last1=Garland|first1=Merrick B. |doi=10.2307/1340219|jstor=1340219|title=The State Action Exemption and Antitrust Enforcement under the Federal Trade Commission Act|journal=Harvard Law Review|year=1976|volume=89|issue=4|pages=715–751|author-mask=3}}

* {{cite web |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/writer/5773/Merrick__Garland/ |title=Merrick Garland collected writings |year=1972–73 |newspaper=[[The Harvard Crimson]] }}

* [[List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 3)]]

* {{cite web |url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Senate%20Judiciary%20Committee%20Questionnaire%205%209%202016.pdf |publisher=[[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary]] |location=Washington, D.C. |title=Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees for Merrick Garland |year=2016 |access-date=September 13, 2021 }}

* {{cite report |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |location=Washington, D.C. |id=R44479 |url=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R44479.pdf |title=Judge Merrick Garland: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court |editor-first=Kate M. |editor-last=Manuel |editor-first2=Brandon J. |editor-last2=Murrill |editor-first3=Andrew |editor-last3=Nolan |date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=September 13, 2021 }}

* {{cite report |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |location=Washington, D.C.| id=R44484 |url=https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44484.pdf |title=Majority, Concurring, and Dissenting Opinions Authored by Judge Merrick Garland |editor-first=R. Chuck |editor-last=Mason |date=May 2, 2016 |access-date=September 13, 2021 }}

* {{cite journal |first1=Robin Bradley |last1=Kar |first2=Jason |last2=Mazzone |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2752287 |title=The Garland Affair: What History and the Constitution Really Say About President Obama's Powers to Appoint a Replacement for Justice Scalia |date=March 21, 2016 |ssrn=2752287 |journal=NYU Law Review |volume=91 |page=53 |access-date=September 13, 2021 }}

* {{cite report |url=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IN10455.pdf |title=Nominations to the Supreme Court During Presidential Election Years (1900-Present) |date=March 16, 2016 |first=Barry J. |last=McMillion |id=IN10455 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=May 8, 2022 }}

* {{cite report |url=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IN11514.pdf |title=Supreme Court Vacancies That Occurred During Presidential Election Years (1789-2020)] | first=Barry J. |last=McMillion |date=October 1, 2020 |id=IN11514 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=May 8, 2022 }}