President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, to announce key nominees for the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President-elect Joe Biden has introduced Merrick Garland as his pick for attorney general along with three others he has selected for senior Justice Department positions. Biden said they will “restore the independence” of the agency and faith in the rule of law. The four lawyers were introduced by Biden at an event Thursday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware. According to the Associated Press, in picking Garland, Biden is turning to an experienced judge who held senior positions at the Justice Department decades ago, including as a supervisor of the prosecution of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing case.
In addition to Judge Merrick Garland, Biden nominated Lisa Monaco to serve as Deputy Attorney General, Vanita Gupta to serve as Associate Attorney General and Kristen Clarke to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
President Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016.
Our nominees for the Justice Department will restore the independence of the Department, so it serves the interests of the people—not a presidency. They’ll rebuild public trust in the rule of law and work to ensure a more fair and equitable justice system. https://t.co/MSCRAwsmaH
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 7, 2021
Biden nominated Lisa Monaco to serve as Deputy Attorney General. According to the Biden-Harris transition website, Monaco,
- Served in the Department of Justice for fifteen years, spending the majority of her time as a career federal prosecutor
- The first woman confirmed as Assistant Attorney General for National Security and served as White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor
- Has demonstrated that public service is about service to the American people, successfully prosecuting a range of cases from violent crime to fraud and public corruption
Biden nominated Vanita Gupta to serve as Associate Attorney General. According to the Biden-Harris transition website, Gupta:
- Served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division from 2014-2017
- One of the most respected civil rights attorneys in America, and former chief civil rights prosecutor for the United States
- The Indian-American daughter of immigrants, Gupta would be the first woman of color to serve in this role
Biden nominated Kristen Clarke to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. According to the Biden-Harris transition website, Clarke:
- Served in the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, where she handled cases of hate crimes, human trafficking, police misconduct, voting rights, and redistricting cases
- Current president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Nominee Kristen Clarke tweeted she is honored to be nominated and hope to, “move closer to the TRUE meaning of equal justice under law.”
This job is about justice. It’s about equality. And under our DOJ, we’ll move closer to the TRUE meaning of equal justice under law.
Honored to be nominated by @JoeBiden to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. @Transition46 https://t.co/dgtJKaWKEP
— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) January 7, 2021
Nominee Lisa Monaco tweeted, “It will be a tremendous honor to work once again alongside the career women and men of the Department of Justice as Deputy Attorney General.”
I’ve spent years in public service working with those who have dedicated their lives to upholding the law and keeping this country safe. It will be a tremendous honor to work once again alongside the career women and men of the Department of Justice as Deputy Attorney General.
— Lisa Monaco (@LisaMonaco) January 7, 2021
Watch the full nomination here.