The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a directive halting many of the civil rights division’s investigative activities initiated during the Biden administration, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. The document instructs the division to suspend new indictments, cases, or settlements and restricts its ability to file complaints or motions.
The memo, addressed to Kathleen Wolfe—appointed by the Trump administration to oversee the division—explicitly directs attorneys to refrain from filing “new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest.” Existing cases will proceed at the discretion of the presiding judges.
Additionally, a separate directive requires the division to notify the Justice Department’s chief of staff regarding any finalized consent decrees within the past 90 days. This raises concerns about the status of ongoing police-reform agreements negotiated with cities such as Minneapolis, Louisville, and Memphis, which may now be in jeopardy.
The duration of the suspension remains unclear, but the move effectively limits the division’s operations during the early stages of the Trump administration. Harmeet K. Dhillon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Justice Department, awaits Senate confirmation.
The Justice Department, under the guidance of newly appointed chief of staff Chad Mizelle, stated that the freeze aims to ensure consistency in the federal government’s legal stance and allows the president’s appointees to decide on initiating new cases. Mizelle’s memo underscored the importance of presenting a unified federal voice on legal matters.
Historically, the civil rights division’s priorities have shifted sharply between Republican and Democratic administrations. Analysts anticipated a particularly pronounced shift under Trump. Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, described the directive as unprecedented. “We’ve never seen this before at this scale with any transfer of power,” Hewitt said. “This is more than just a changing course of philosophy—this is a Justice Department abdicating its duty to protect Americans from discrimination.”
Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department launched 12 investigations into state and local law enforcement agencies, issuing findings in nine cases. However, delays in finalizing reform agreements have left significant initiatives vulnerable. In December, the department announced a federal oversight agreement with Louisville following the police killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020. A similar agreement was reached in Minneapolis in early January after the killing of George Floyd. Neither agreement has received judicial approval.
Trump’s administration has signaled a starkly different approach to police accountability. During his first term, the Justice Department did not pursue police accountability investigations. On the campaign trail, Trump endorsed aggressive policing tactics, including stop-and-frisk policies, and suggested that law enforcement should employ “extraordinarily rough” measures when necessary to address urban violence.
The Justice Department has not responded to inquiries regarding the memo. The move has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates, who warn that it could undermine efforts to address police misconduct and systemic discrimination.
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