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From the Washington Post: The Justice Department has ordered the civil rights division to halt much of its investigative activity dating from the Biden administration and not pursue new indictments, cases or settlements, according to a memo sent to the temporary head of the division that was obtained by The Washington Post.
The letter instructs Kathleen Wolfe — designated by the Trump administration as supervisor of the division — to ensure that civil rights attorneys do not file “any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest.”
Cases that have already been filed would be subject to the discretion of the judge overseeing them.
A separate memo sent to Wolfe on Wednesday says the civil rights division must notify the Justice Department’s chief of staff of any consent decrees the division has finalized within the last 90 days. That directive suggests that police-reform agreements the Justice Department has negotiated with cities including Minneapolis, Louisville and Memphis could be in jeopardy.
Republican lawyer Harmeet Dhillon, who Trump has appointed to lead the DOJ Civil Rights Division, is still waiting her Senate confirmation.
The move appears to have shut down the Civil Rights Division until Dhillon takes the wheel and has a chance to review the cases.
Liberals are fuming, and calling the freeze “racist.”
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), who once asked if Guam would tip over, wrote on X, “This is like the federal government withdrawing federal troops from the South in 1877, which ended Reconstruction and ushered in the Jim Crow Era. It’s straight-out racism.”
This is like the federal government withdrawing federal troops from the South in 1877, which ended Reconstruction and ushered in the Jim Crow Era. It’s straight-out racism.https://t.co/K6TM7k88aE
— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) January 23, 2025
“The Justice Department has ordered its civil rights division to halt all ongoing litigation from the Biden administration and not pursue new cases or settlements, according to a memo sent to the temporary head of the division obtained by WaPo.” https://t.co/8ZIUMWqilx
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) January 23, 2025
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