Merrick Garland on list to be Biden’s attorney general: report

Federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland is among the names President-elect Joe Biden is considering to serve as attorney general in his administration, two people closely following the process told NPR. 

Garland was thrust into the spotlight in 2016 after he was nominated by former President Obama to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court following the death of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Senate Republicans never held a confirmation hearing for Garland.  

Garland was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1997, and served as its chief justice from February 2013 to February 2020. 

Prior to being a judge, Garland oversaw the prosecution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, NPR notes, and gained plenty of management experience inside the Justice Department in the 1990s. 

Supporters of Garland told NPR that he could restore public confidence in the Justice Department after a chaotic period under the Trump administration during which the president repeatedly attacked federal prosecutors and FBI agents. 

Attorney General William Barr, who came under fire for intervening in politically charged cases, asserted in a speech earlier this year that “all prosecutorial power is invested in the attorney general.” 

Others in consideration for the position include former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), who recently lost reelection to his senate seat to GOP Challenger Tommy Tuberville. 

The Hill has reached out to Biden’s transition team for comment.