Merrick Garland’s goal is to restore the integrity of the Justice Department. His legacy will still be defined by Trump.
In his first year, Attorney General Merrick Garland has gotten the department back in the business of police reform and made bold decisions on charging officers in civil rights cases, while building a massive Jan. 6 investigation.
By Matt Zapotosky, David Nakamura and Devlin BarrettMarch 14, 2022N.Y. judge rejects Trump’s attempt to countersue E. Jean Carroll
The ruling said allowing Trump's suit to go forward would significantly prolong an already much-delayed legal proceeding.
By Shayna JacobsMarch 11, 2022Judge seeks to defuse legal fight that raised Trump’s ire
An obscure legal filing that sparked a political tempest was just “a sideshow,” the judge declared.
By Devlin Barrett and Matt ZapotoskyMarch 10, 2022Longtime Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio charged with conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack on Capitol
Tarrio was indicted in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. He and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes are the most high-profile individuals charged by the Justice Department in connection with the violent breach of the Capitol.
By Spencer S. Hsu and Devlin BarrettMarch 8, 2022Maya Wiley, former de Blasio aide, hired to helm Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The longtime civil rights activist and former New York mayoral candidate has been named president of the nation's largest civil rights coalition.
By David NakamuraMarch 8, 2022GAO: Jan. 6 shows need for better Capitol Police training and information-sharing
A new survey of U.S. Capitol Police officers found that police were hampered on Jan. 6, 2021, by inadequate training to handle large, violent crowds, poor information-sharing and officers’ hesitancy to use force.
By Devlin BarrettMarch 7, 2022Supreme Court to review Indian Child Welfare Act, which prioritizes adoptions by Native American parents or tribes
The law is being challenged by three states and seven individuals, who say it does not focus solely on what's best for the child.
By Robert BarnesFebruary 28, 2022Barr calls prospect of Trump running for president again ‘dismaying,’ says GOP should ‘look forward’ to others
In a new book, “One Damn Thing After Another,” the former attorney general takes shot after shot at Trump, especially over his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic and his false claims that the election was stolen from him.
By Matt Zapotosky and Josh DawseyFebruary 27, 2022Ghislaine Maxwell juror to be questioned under oath about alleged past abuse
A judge denied Ghislaine Maxwell's motion for a new trial based on a juror having told reporters he was a past victim of sex abuse. But the judge will question that juror under oath March 8.
By Shayna JacobsFebruary 24, 2022Bragg taps new attorney to head Trump investigation after two lead prosecutors quit
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) appointed veteran litigator Susan Hoffinger to oversee the probe.
By Shayna JacobsFebruary 24, 2022Prosecutors in Trump probe quit after new DA seems to abandon plan to seek indictment of former president
Former district attorney Cyrus Vance had committed to seeking an indictment of Trump, people familiar with the matter said, but new district attorney Alvin Bragg has seemed uninterested.
By Shayna Jacobs and Josh DawseyFebruary 24, 2022Justice Department shutters China Initiative, launches broader strategy to counter nation-state threats
The Justice Department is shuttering its controversial China Initiative and replacing it with a broader strategy aimed at countering espionage, cyberattacks and other threats posed by a range of countries, a top official said Wednesday.
By Ellen NakashimaFebruary 23, 2022Greg and Travis McMichael, William Bryan guilty of hate crimes in Ahmaud Arbery killing
“No one in this country should have to fear the threat of hate-filled violence,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in Washington, D.C., shortly after the verdict.
By David Nakamura and Margaret CokerFebruary 22, 2022Jury deliberations underway in hate-crimes trial of men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery
A federal prosecutor began Monday's closing arguments by saying the defendants' history of racist statements explains why they chased Ahmaud Arbery and “shot him and let him die on the streets like an animal.”
By David NakamuraFebruary 21, 2022Arbery hate-crimes trial highlights everyday racism — and casual gun culture
Even as prosecutors highlighted racist text messages and comments by the defendants, the hate-crimes trial of Ahmaud Arbery's killers also showed the prevalence of guns in American society.
By David NakamuraFebruary 20, 2022Defense rests in Arbery hate-crimes trial after one witness; closing statements expected Monday
After prosecutors presented dramatic evidence of racist statements, lawyers for Greg and Travis McMichaels and William Bryan offered only one defense witness.
By David NakamuraFebruary 18, 2022Nineteen Austin police officers charged with misconduct during protests, including one who’s running for public office
The Austin district attorney made good on his pledge to crack down on misconduct by police, charging at least 19 officers with excessive force or other misconduct during social justice protests in 2020.
By Neena SatijaFebruary 18, 2022Wife in Maryland spy couple also pleads guilty in plot to sell U.S. nuclear secrets
Diana Toebbe admitted to helping her husband, a nuclear engineer who worked on Navy submarines, try to sell classified secrets to a foreign country. The couple have two young children.
By Devlin BarrettFebruary 18, 2022Marine charged in Jan. 6 riot is arrested in N.Y. for selling forged vaccine cards to unvaccinated, including other military members
Jia Liu allegedly helped distribute at least 300 vaccination cards to people who didn’t actually get vaccinated but wanted proof that they had.
By Shayna JacobsFebruary 17, 2022