Attorney General Garland tells Alabama's Bloody Sunday service that voting rights are under attack
Last edited Sun Mar 3, 2024, 07:40 PM - Edit history (4)
Source: AP
Updated 11:47 AM EST, March 3, 2024
SELMA, Ala. (AP) -- Attorney General Merrick Garland told parishioners at a Selma church service commemorating the 59th anniversary of the attack by Alabama law officers on Civil Rights demonstrators that voting rights are endangered in much of the nation.
Garland told a Bloody Sunday service that decisions by the Supreme Court and lower courts since 2006 have weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was passed in the wake of the police attack. The demonstrators were beaten by officers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965, as they tried to march across Alabama in support of voting rights. Vice President Kamala Harris will lead the annual march across the bridge on Sunday afternoon.
The march and Garland's speech are among dozens of events during the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which began Thursday and culminates Sunday. Garland said the rulings have endangered the voting rights of Black Americans. "Since those (court) decisions, there has been a dramatic increase in legislative measures that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote and to elect representatives of their choice," Garland told worshippers at Selma's Tabernacle Baptist Church, the site of one of the first mass meetings of the voting rights movement.
"Those measures include practices and procedures that make voting more difficult; redistricting maps that disadvantage minorities; and changes in voting administration that diminish the authority of locally elected or nonpartisan election administrators," he said. "Such measures threaten the foundation of our system of government." Harris will speak at a rally after the march.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/bloody-sunday-march-selma-alabama-civil-rights-dd03b6cc8e68e42ac89e1c9d641c12b9
Am adding these resources as FYI about a Department of many agencies and 115,000 employees for those who are unaware -
Link to DOJ Civil Rights Division site - https://www.justice.gov/crt
The most recent voting-related suit's disposition - Court Finds That Arizona Voter Registration Provisions Violate Federal Law
DOJ Voting Info site - https://www.justice.gov/voting
Link to DOJ's additional Voting-related PRESS RELEASES - https://www.justice.gov/voting/news
Think. Again.
(8,892 posts)...so many Democrats are feeling with his work.
Fiendish Thingy
(15,711 posts)This is not a new thing for him.
Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)regardless of which side writes that history.
I believe that he believes in his heart, he did what he could, and that he did the best he could.
I believe more could have been done and with faster timing, and that he was the wrong man for the job to face off against these titanic presidential-level illegalities.
I believe his resignation will come at the beginning of the new presidential term, no matter who wins.
Think. Again.
(8,892 posts)...did not make the series of moves he has made by mistake.
Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)If so, I don't agree. He's a seemingly good man in bad circumstances. He should not have been there.
I also think we'd have been disappointed in him as a SC justice.
Think. Again.
(8,892 posts)...what that motivation might be, I have no idea. One clue might be his connection to the Federalist Society.
Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)He's got a page on their site. They love him.
https://fedsoc.org/contributors/merrick-garland
Orrin Hatch and some other conservative Senators were the ones who recommended Garland to Obama for SC nomination. I suppose Obama was thinking this was the best he could get given the state of the Senate.
Think. Again.
(8,892 posts)...but based on his lack of urgency (at the least) concerning the very urgent need for investigations and justice of Jan 6th alone, it is clear he is not fit for the Justice department.
He may be trying to hide behind an air of being 'non-political' in his decision-making, but his lack of decisive action on a time-sensitive issue of national importance is more than just frustrating, his inaction was political in itself and at best, dangerously irresponsible.
Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)Overall, I agree with what you say -- the wrong man, at the wrong time facing off, against the wrong injustices.
Yes, his inactions were actions themselves.
Way too timid. No fire in the belly.
onecaliberal
(33,012 posts)Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)He is a tragedy. Because he was AG, he prevented someone else from being AG who may have done more aggressive prosecuting.
He has a smug arrogance about him. And as previously said, history will be unkind to him.
onecaliberal
(33,012 posts)Bordering on criminal malpractice.
Earth-shine
(4,044 posts)onecaliberal
(33,012 posts)Autumn
(45,120 posts)TeamProg
(6,363 posts)Deuxcents
(16,455 posts)BumRushDaShow
(130,043 posts)Suit after suit after suit.
Link to DOJ Civil Rights Division site - https://www.justice.gov/crt
PRESS RELEASE regarding one of the most recent suits - Court Finds That Arizona Voter Registration Provisions Violate Federal Law
DOJ Voting Info site - https://www.justice.gov/voting
Link to DOJ's additional Voting-related PRESS RELEASES - https://www.justice.gov/voting/news
DU needs a Civics 101 Group.
stopdiggin
(11,415 posts)sometimes a clap back is necessary.
BumRushDaShow
(130,043 posts)Where Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr got passes.
stopdiggin
(11,415 posts)Nobody is ever happy. But it's probably nice to occasionally know what we're talking about.
Deuxcents
(16,455 posts)Did not realize there was a celebration at The Bridge or I would have had it on live and maybe my comment would have been different. Not real happy with Garland so I may have been too hasty.
BumRushDaShow
(130,043 posts)and there were a couple people who spoke before she did (with some breaks in between).
There is a ceremony annually at that location and Pres. Biden was there for last year's ceremony -
VP Harris was there in 2022 -
I think there was a "virtual" crossing (although people were still out there) in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Remember, for us current or former federal employees, people like Garland are "GS-1000s" - the "god-level" appointees who come and go with the cycling of Presidents. Those doing the work are the civil servants and fixating on the appointees, with the idea that they are somehow micromanaging their Departments and doing everything within all their subordinate agencies (and in his case, DOJ is also over ATF, the Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, DEA, US Marshals, etc.,) will quickly lead to unnecessary headaches.
In addition, since most federal agencies have no "enforcement authority" (only "regulatory" ), DOJ lawyers become the "enforcers" (in court) for the federal agencies (for court filings like seizures, injunctions, and all kinds of other warrants).
onenote
(42,852 posts)Its sad.
ancianita
(36,238 posts)The DOJ is doing its part to pressure all parties to not try another Arizona or Georgia, or they'll FAFO.
Thank you!
comradebillyboy
(10,191 posts)brush
(53,978 posts)in begining investigating the principal bad actors of J6...that of course includes trump.
usonian
(9,987 posts)While the (arguably) main destroyers of voting rights and money laundering have gotten a UUGE hall pass.
Of course, I can't prove these allegations, but someone ...
ancianita
(36,238 posts)you can't prove these hall pass allegations, but yeah, just rip into the Garland DOJ
Eight months ago...
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/doj-files-first-ever-charges-chinese-fentanyl-manufacturers-rcna90846
Three months ago...
DOJ Charges Binance With Vast Money-Laundering Scheme and Sanctions Violations
https://archive.ph/w5eus
In January...
24 people accused in massive drug and money laundering operation in Utah
https://www.abc4.com/news/24-people-accused-in-massive-drug-and-money-laundering-operation-in-utah/
I could list many more but there'd never be enough proof for those who make the perfect the enemy of the good.
samsingh
(17,605 posts)choie
(4,112 posts)N/t
BaronChocula
(1,644 posts)Is he doing a bottom-up investigation that will eventually lead to the indictment of Bull Connor?
ancianita
(36,238 posts)as deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division of the DOJ, Garland supervised the high-profile domestic-terrorism cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing, Ted Kaczynski (also known as the "Unabomber" ), and the Atlanta Olympics bombings.
Go ahead all day and all night. Some of DU need History 101.
BaronChocula
(1,644 posts)went right over your head.
"Some of DU need history"?
Some of DU know history and Garland's resumé. It doesn't put him beyond reproach.
To explain my comment, Garland insisted on taking a "bottom-up" approach regarding crimes committed in relation to January 6. He did that instead of going for the most obvious target that Liz Cheney said summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame. After spending months on that bottom-up approach, it took a second investigation into trump's stashing classified documents in his toiles to get Garland to appoint a special counsel. The special counsel went top-down and got, by comparison quick indictments. Even with his reputation behind him, Garland blinked. And here we are.
Of course I didn't think Garland could have indicted Bull Connor in the 60s.
I suspect you knew all that. But just in case...
ancianita
(36,238 posts)bottom up is how one flips informants -- a kind of crowdsourcing of new arrestees. Tried and true in big criminal cases with still-moving parts. I suspect you knew all that, too, but just in case.
No, it was all one investigation. One. And it didn't take more than one "due process" series of obstructions for Garland to decide to appoint a Special Counsel. Garland had already set up Smith's Grand Juries to last until the end of this month. It took Trump announcing his candidacy for 2024, for Garland to announce a SC, since Garland had already decided by then on who would do the best, fastest and most thorough investigation and case building of the first-in-US history indictments. One doesn't just hear the news and decide such things overnight.
Give Garland credit for Jack Smith, ffs. Garland got all the documents the Special Counsel team is using in the FL documents case; Smith's team has been handling the classified content, along with the plentiful text, tapes, phone audio evidence around their movement and storage. As you know from the ultimate referrals by the Jan 6 Committee to the DOJ, there were a LOT of moving parts long before, during, and since the current indictments. But Garland set up Smith's Grand Juries to last until the end of this month.
Garland "blinked." With over 100,000 DOJ employees and hundreds of Jan 6 convictions under his belt, yeah, he's human. Try that line with bigtree and BumRushDaShow. She's got a lot more reasons than I about why Garland is in 'the God' category of executive appointees. But hey, you and the perfect-as-the-enemy-of-the-good crowd are the experts on investigating terrorism.
Armchair critics say Garland blinked? Oh noes!
Here's what Garland had done before he brought Jack Smith over from The Hague:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218670579
BaronChocula
(1,644 posts)I'm aware of his approach. I simply began listening to people who were more involved with holding Jan 6 conspirators including trump responsible for their actions. That includes Adam Schiff who was a key to the bipartisan second impeachment of trump.
So you think Garland done good on this case. I RESPECTFULLY disagree with you.
ancianita
(36,238 posts)Because you're selling old, stale arguments, factually and repeatedly debunked here for months.
"Done good"? Any JoeBlow lawyer could do that.
ANY politician -- Adam Schiff? pfffffft! -- who hasn't worked in the Criminal Division of DOJ can cast doubt.
Respectfully disagreeing is no substitute for informed disagreeing. By innuendo it's disrespectful of this president's and AG's judgments -- people in high, deep, and wide levels of information processing and decisionmaking. Have a good night.
BYE!
ShazamIam
(2,577 posts)Mawspam2
(746 posts)Spews words, goes back to sleep.