Merrick Garland has returned to Arnold & Porter as a partner in their Appellate & Supreme Court practice group. His career, which includes prestigious education and judicial roles, ended with a contentious nomination to the Supreme Court that was never voted on by Senate Republicans. As Attorney General, his emphasis was on restoring DOJ credibility, but his approach raised issues about effectiveness in prosecutorial decisions. Critics argue that his reluctance to charge former President Trump reflects a broader concern about political ramifications in legal processes.
Garland's career arc is the stuff of centrist dreams: Harvard summa cum laude, clerkships with Judge Friendly and Justice Brennan, a stint at Arnold & Porter, and a long tenure on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
When presented with the opportunity to confirm their paradigmatic example of a judge, Republicans opted to shirk their constitutional duty to even hold a vote - turning 'advice and consent' into 'ignore.'
As Attorney General under President Biden, Garland was tasked with restoring the Department of Justice's reputation for impartiality and independence. In a historic instance of overcorrection, he approached this mission with the fervor of a man meticulously organizing his sock drawer while the house burned down.
Garland gets more flack than he should for failing to address criminality in the prior administration. Prosecuting Donald Trump for January 6 might have satisfied a lot of people, but would've stretched the bounds of criminal incitement.
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