Topline
The Justice Department ordered its civil rights division to pause ongoing litigation and not engage in any new cases, according to The Washington Post, issuing the order Wednesday as Republican lawyer Harmeet Dhillon awaits Senate confirmation to lead the division.
Key Facts
The memo, obtained by the Post, instructs Civil Rights Division supervisor Kathleen Wolfe to ensure attorneys do not file “any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest.”
The memo reportedly says the pause, which will freeze litigation linked to the Biden administration, is being implemented to “ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to decide whether to initiate any new cases.”
It is unclear how long the pause will remain in effect, though the Post noted it will shut down the division for at least the first few weeks of the Trump administration, which is working through a slew of Senate confirmations for its nominees.
The memo reportedly also said the order was issued to ensure “that the Federal Government speaks with one voice in its view of the law.”
A separate memo sent to Wolfe orders the Civil Rights Division to inform the Justice Department’s chief of staff of any consent decrees finalized within the last 90 days, according to the Post.
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What We Don’t Know
When Dhillon will have her Senate confirmation hearing. Nominations will take weeks to get through, with more prominent nominees having their hearings held sooner.
Tangent
Many of Trump’s nominees are expected to be confirmed without a hitch, though figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated as Health and Human Services Secretary, and Pete Hegseth, nominated as Defense Secretary, face opposition.
Key Background
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division largely enforces laws prohibiting discrimination. Former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department expedited the finalizing of multiple police reform agreements shortly after President Donald Trump won the election, according to the Post, doing so in an effort to avoid the new administration shutting them down.
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