Department of Justice (DOJ) News
Coverage of DOJ investigations, leadership, and political influence. Includes conservative commentary and opinion from The Daily Signal.
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Justice Department Attacks Pro-Life States With Bogus ‘Preemption’ Argument
The Biden administration is using a spurious legal argument to crack down on states limiting abortion. On Aug. 2, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against the state of Idaho, hoping to undermine its new law prohibiting most abortions by claiming that it conflicts with a federal law regarding medical treatment in hospital emergency…Thomas Jipping -
Conservative Leaders Demand Justice Department Take Action to Stop Pro-Abortion Violence
A growing number of pro-life organizations have been attacked following the leaked opinion in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case could overturn Roe v. Wade, which made abortion restrictions illegal. In response, a group of conservative leaders sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Kristen Clarke, assistant…Jarrett Stepman -
As Biden Met With Pope, His DOJ Argued for Right to Abort Baby With Beating Heart
The activities of the Biden administration this past Friday featured two remarkable and profoundly contradictory events. In Rome, President Joe Biden met with Pope Francis. In Washington, his Justice Department filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing there is a “right” to kill an unborn baby with a beating heart. What transpired in Washington…Terence Jeffrey -
Biden Justice Department Advances Voter Fraud Case in Philadelphia Begun Under Trump
A probe of voter fraud begun by the Trump administration’s Justice Department that ensnared a former House Democrat and former Philadelphia election officials has resulted in additional charges under the Biden administration. In October, acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams charged Marie Beren, a former staffer for Philadelphia City Council member Mark Squilla, on four…Fred Lucas -
‘Just Unconscionable’: Parents Protest Outside Justice Department Against ‘Domestic Terrorist’ Label
Frustration at school boards boiled over for some parents and activists who protested outside of the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., Sunday. A small crowd gathered for the "Parents Are Not ‘Domestic Terrorists’ Rally," a reference to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Oct. 4 memorandum that called on the FBI to “use its authority” in response to…Kendall Tietz -
State School Board Groups Disavow National Entity’s Call for DOJ to Investigate Parents
At least 11 state school board organizations are distancing themselves from a National School Boards Association letter asking President Joe Biden to take action against parents protesting progressive school policies. School board organizations in Virginia and Louisiana criticized the national association’s letter in public statements earlier this month, saying they were not consulted on it and suggesting that the National School Boards Association discourages the “active participation” of parents in school governance….Mary Margaret Olohan -
Biden’s Justice Department Clueless That Censoring Parents Is Sure to End Badly
It sounds like hyperbole, but it’s true: A progressive education association wants parents attending school board meetings to be treated like terrorists. It has asked President Joe Biden to criminalize parent opposition to critical race theory and COVID-19 mandates, a burgeoning grassroots movement that has caught radicals by surprise. The move to suppress First Amendment rights came from the National School…Jonathan Butcher -
What This Justice Department Official Said About Treating Parents as ‘Domestic Terrorists’
Two Senate Republicans tangled Wednesday with one of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s key deputies over her boss’ proposal to use federal anti-terrorism laws against parents who speak out against critical race theory, mask mandates, or other contested issues in their public school systems. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., asked Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil…Fred Lucas -
Justice Department Asks Judge to Block Texas Abortion Law
The Department of Justice asked a federal judge late Tuesday night to block Texas’ Heartbeat Act, which prohibits abortions after the baby’s heartbeat can be detected. The DOJ called for a temporary restraining order or injunction against the new law, arguing that the Heartbeat Act intends “to prevent women from exercising their constitutional rights.” “When…Mary Margaret Olohan -
University Professors Ask Justice Department to Stop Looking for Chinese Spies
A group of professors at Stanford University has asked the Justice Department to discontinue a program aimed at combating Chinese economic espionage. The letter, signed by 177 Stanford faculty members from more than 40 departments and addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland, asks the Justice Department to end its China Initiative, a program started in 2018 that…Ailan Evans -
Justice Department Sues Texas Over ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Law
President Joe Biden’s administration is suing Texas over the state’s new Heartbeat Act, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday. “The Department of Justice has a duty to defend the Constitution of the United States and to uphold the rule of law,” Garland said. “Today we fulfill that duty by filing the lawsuit I have just…Mary Margaret Olohan -
Former Justice Department Lawyer Testifies to Voting Section’s History of Abusing Its Authority
For anyone who thinks that passing HR 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, is a good idea, watching the startling testimony of a veteran Justice Department lawyer should make one quickly realize what a bad—and dangerous—idea it really is. At a hearing Tuesday intended to build support for HR 4, Maureen Riordan did…Hans von Spakovsky -
Justice Department’s Lawsuit Against Georgia Is Completely Partisan
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, headed by new, radical Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, filed a lawsuit on June 25 against Georgia. The Justice Department claimed the state’s recently enacted election reform law, SB 202, violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act because it discriminates against black Georgia voters. The complaint reads like a press…Hans von Spakovsky -
Trump Antagonist Opposes Arizona Election Audit as Justice Department Official
A foe of former President Donald Trump is leading the Biden Justice Department’s push to discredit or halt an election audit in Arizona’s largest county—an issue that is heating up this week. Pamela S. Karlan, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, warned the leader of the Arizona state Senate…Fred Lucas -
Justice Department Won’t Oppose Arizona Election Reform Before Supreme Court Hears Case
On the cusp of Supreme Court arguments about Arizona’s ban on the controversial practice of ballot harvesting, President Joe Biden’s Justice Department pulled a surprise maneuver—inaction. The Biden administration in effect maintained the same position, for now, as the Trump administration regarding a major election integrity case. In a carefully worded letter to the Supreme…Fred Lucas -
Stacey Abrams Staffer Helping Biden Pick Justice Department Team
After winning the vote in the Electoral College last week, former Vice President Joe Biden said the election process “should be celebrated, not attacked.” Biden derided what he called “baseless claims about the legitimacy of the results” of the presidential election and said, “Respecting the will of the people is at the heart of our…Fred Lucas -
Rioters Could Jeopardize Federal Funding in 3 Cities, Justice Department Says
New York City, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon, have allowed ongoing violence and destruction of property and refused to institute measures to prevent criminal activity, the Department of Justice said Monday. These cities met the criteria President Donald Trump issued on Sept. 2 to identify cities that have not sufficiently dealt with rioters and would be subject to funding…Kaylee Greenlee -
Rep. Liz Cheney Demands DOJ Investigate Whether China, Russia Are Infiltrating US Environmental Groups
Rep. Liz Cheney, R- Wyo., asked the Department of Justice in September to investigate whether Russia and China are working to infiltrate environmental groups to influence U.S. environmental policy, The Daily Caller News Foundation has learned. Russia and China may be infiltrating nongovernmental groups in an attempt to meddle in domestic energy and environmental policy,…Chris White -
Operation Legend Makes 2,000 Arrests, Seizes 182 Pounds of Drugs in 5 Weeks, DOJ Says
Operation Legend, a federal initiative to combat murder and violent crime in major U.S. cities, has recorded over 2,000 arrests and seized large quantities of narcotics since the program’s July inception, according to the Department of Justice. A total of 147 people have been arrested for homicide, 544 firearms have been seized, and around 182 pounds (83…Jake Dima -
Justice Department Announces FISA Reforms to Prevent Another Carter Page Debacle
The Justice Department announced a series of reforms to its procedures for obtaining Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act orders on Tuesday aimed at preventing abuses that the FBI committed during its investigation of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. Attorney General William Barr issued two memos laying out the reforms Tuesday. One memo announced the creation of…Chuck Ross