Merrick Garland
November 10, 2021 — John Hinderaker
When he was first asked about the prospect of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars–$450,000, to be exact–to illegal immigrants whose families were separated at the border, President Biden called the idea “garbage” and said it “[wasn’t] gonna happen.” Apparently those in the Justice Department who were responsible for the deal hadn’t bothered to brief the president. When a few days later he was asked again about the rumored agreement,
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October 30, 2021 — Paul Mirengoff
Following Merrick Garland’s recent appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, we posted the portions of his testimony in which he answered (and sometimes evaded) the questions of Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. Josh Hawley. In this post, I want to add Garland’s exchanges with Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz did his usual effective job, and the entire thing is worth watching. Towards at the end, at around the seven minute mark,
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October 28, 2021 — Paul Mirengoff
Throughout his testimony yesterday, Attorney General Garland insisted that his memo regarding the federal investigation and prosecution of parents protesting local school board decisions applies only to violence and the threat of violence. Yet, the very first line of his memo speaks not just of violence and its threat, but also of “intimidation” and “harassment.” Garland tried to reconcile the language of his memo with his testimony. I understood him
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October 28, 2021 — John Hinderaker
Yesterday Paul posted the video of Senator Tom Cotton ripping Attorney General Merrick Garland in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Another notable exchange in yesterday’s hearing featured Senator Josh Hawley, whose assault on Garland was epic. You shouldn’t miss it: I will hazard a guess that Garland’s tenure as Attorney General will not be a long one.
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October 27, 2021 — Paul Mirengoff
When Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee last week, he told Rep. Jim Jordan that FBI agents will not be attending school board meetings. However, an activist mother in Fairfax, Virginia says the feds did show up at a school board meeting last Thursday, the same day Garland made his statement to Jordan. The mom says a Department of Homeland Security vehicle was present in the
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October 27, 2021 — Paul Mirengoff
Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. I didn’t watch the proceedings, but a friend commended to me Sen. Tom Cotton’s questioning of Garland. I found the colloquy on YouTube and commend it your attention. The exchange, which requires no comment by me, is below.
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October 25, 2021 — John Hinderaker
Merrick Garland is hardly a household name, and to the extent that the press has mentioned him at all, it has mostly been to puff him up. Maybe I am forgetting something, but I can’t think of anything Garland has done to give voters a strong impression one way or another, except for his memo to the FBI directing the Bureau to work with local law enforcement to investigate, as
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October 21, 2021 — John Hinderaker
Today Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee. The testimony lasted for more than five hours, and I haven’t had time to watch any significant part of it. But here are a couple of excerpts. The first is Rep. Jim Jordan, excoriating the Biden administration and the Obama administration that preceded it for their many violations of Americans’ civil rights. I think it is quite well done:
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October 5, 2021 — Paul Mirengoff
Anyone who still doubts that “moderate” Merrick Garland’s Justice Department is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the far left should check out the news that Garland has threatened to investigate and prosecute parents who vigorously protest against school boards and teachers intent on indoctrinating school children in the racist, anti-American teachings of Critical Race Theory. Garland did so through this memorandum. Garland claims that free-speech principles must yield when they represent
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December 17, 2020 — Paul Mirengoff
President-elect Biden still hasn’t named a nominee for Attorney General. According to this report from CNN, the two leading contenders are Judge Merrick Garland and outgoing Senator Doug Jones. Sally Yates, whom I expected to be the frontrunner, and Deval ( “just words”) Patrick reportedly may still be in contention, but seem to be on the outside looking in. Until I read the CNN article, I couldn’t understand why Jones
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November 20, 2020 — Paul Mirengoff
Federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland reportedly is among the people Joe Biden is seriously considering for the job of Attorney General. Others said to be on Biden’s short list include Sally Yates, Deval Patrick, and Doug Jones, fresh off of his defeat in the Alabama Senate race. (For what it’s worth, I’d be surprised if Jones were selected.) Judge Garland was painted as a moderate by the mainstream media
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March 4, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff
On Thursday, President Trump nominated Bill Otis to serve on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Immediately, the left, marching in lock-step as usual, launched an attack on Bill. I addressed one of the salvos, NPR’s, here. For years, Bill has written for “Crime and Consequences,” an influential blog in the field of criminal law. Thus, those opposing his nomination had the opportunity to sift through Bill’s archive looking for objectionable material
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September 8, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, having recently expressed regret for commenting on a matter she shouldn’t have (the candidacy of Donald Trump) is at it again. At an event at Georgetown Law School, Ginsburg complained about the Senate’s inaction on the Merrick Garland nomination. She said: I do think cooler heads will prevail, I hope sooner rather than later. The president is elected for four years not three years, so the power
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June 2, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
When President Obama nominated Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court, I think he understood that the Republican Senate would not confirm the judge, at least not before the November election. Obama hoped instead that Republican intransigence would hurt GOP Senators up for reelection this Fall. Blocking Garland required the assistance of Sen. Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley is up for reelection. I never seen good evidence
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May 16, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
President Obama spoke today with local reporters from around the country about the stalled Supreme Court nomination of his Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. As America Rising Squared (AR2) reports, the president got several facts wrong (which, says AR2, has become the new normal for this Administration). Obama told reporters that “in the past, [Garland] has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate for the current position that he holds.” Not
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April 30, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Politico reports that the White House and its allies are about to commence a new campaign to get a hearing and a vote for Judge Merrick Garland. They’re calling it the 9-9-9 campaign: nine states, during nine days, to push for a court with nine justices. The nine states are ones where Democrats think they might be able to pick up Senate seats this Fall. In addition, to the usual
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April 29, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
The estimable Ted Olson, writing in the Wall Street Journal, argues in favor of Republicans giving Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, “a good look, a respectful hearing and a vote on the merits.” More broadly, Olson calls for “a pact. . .among responsible Republican and Democratic leaders to give well-qualified Supreme Court nominees of either party a hearing and a vote within 120-180 days of a nomination.”
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