Merrick Garland tapped as next US attorney general

President-elect Joe Biden nominated federal appeals judge Merrick Garland to be the next attorney general on Thursday, after US media reported news of his nomination a day prior.

Garland, considered a political moderate, currently serves as a judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Biden wants to tap into his experience to depoliticize the Justice Department and restore the rule of law. 

 "Entering the Department of Justice will be a kind of homecoming for me," Garland said while being introduced by Biden, saying he would approach his new role with "humility."

Biden described the four years under Trump as lawless. He described the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol building yesterdayas "domestic terrorists," and blamed the Republican president for inciting the violence.  

While introducing his nominee for attorney general, Biden said Garland's loyalty would not rest with the president, but the American law and constitution.

"Justice is blind," Biden said. "Justice serves the people. It doesn't protect the powerful."

Justice Department appointments

Biden also introduced his picks for other senior positions of the Justice Department, such as Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and former Justice Department civil rights chief, Vanita Gupta, as associate attorney general.

He nominated Kristen Clarke as the assistant attorney general to the Civil Rights Division.

Black and Latino advocates wanted a Black person or someone with a civil rights background to be nominated to the position of attorney general. The nomination of Gupta and Clarke, who have significant experience in civil rights issues, appeared to signify that progressive causes would be prioritized by the administration.

Garland was selected over other finalists including Alabama Senator Doug Jones and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.

Garland, 68, has worked as both a federal prosecutor and a high-level supervisor inside the department. He also has prior experience working at a private practice. 

As theSenate has come under control of the Democrats following runoff elections in Georgia, Garland's nomination is expected to pass easily. 

The Department of Justice is expected to take a sharply different approach under the Biden administration, especially in cases of civil rights and security forces policies. 

Obama's Supreme Court nominee

Former President Barack Obama had nominated Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016, but his appointment was blocked by the Senate, which was then controlled by Republicans. Biden still served as vice president during that time.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell had refused to let Garland's nomination forward in the Senate during the last months of Obama's tenure. He was criticized by Democrats for taking the opposite approach to move forward the nomination of Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett. 

McConell had suggested Garland's name for the position of FBI Director after the firing of James Comey. However, Garland had expressed no interest in the position.

tg/rs (dpa, AFP, AP, Reuters)