Merrick Garland
U.S. Attorney General
Merrick Brian Garland was born in November 1952 in Chicago, Illinois. He earned an undergraduate degree and Juris Doctor from Harvard University. He spent two years as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then clerked for Justice William Brennan at the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General during President Carter’s administration, then entered private practice.
Returning to public service, he became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, working as a prosecutor. He briefly returned to private practice, then joined President Clinton’s administration as deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
President Clinton nominated Garland to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. His nomination expired without action from the Senate, but President Clinton renominated him. He received Senate confirmation and assumed his seat in March 1997. He was that court’s Chief Judge for 17 years.
After the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Garland was appointed by President Obama to fill that vacancy. That nomination expired with the end of the 114th Congress.
President Joe Biden nominated him to the position of U.S. Attorney General. Garland retired from judicial service and the Senate confirmed his appointment. He assumed his position in March 2021.
Garland is married to Lynn and they have two daughters. He is Jewish.
In the News…
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently convened a meeting the the Election Threats Task Force. The task force was established in June 2021 to ensure that election workers are able to do their jobs without intimidation, harassment, or threats of violence.
The attorney general stated, “We are meeting today for the same reason I launched this Task Force three years ago: we have seen a dangerous increase in violent threats against public servants, the ones who administer our elections. Those threats endanger our democracy itself.”
Attorney General Garland highlighted cases in which the Department of Justice secured convictions against those who threatened violence against election officials. He said, “If you threaten to harm or kill an election worker, volunteer, or official, the Justice Department will find you. And we will hold you accountable.“
He continued, “We will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who threaten election workers. Protecting the right to vote was a founding purpose of the Justice Department. Today, fulfilling that charge means confronting the full range of threats to our elections.“
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Attorney General Garland today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Merrick Garland
Attorney General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20530
