Merrick Garland - Attorney General

Garland has a long history as the Chief Justice of the D.C. Circuit Court, having served since 1997. Prior to that he served in private practice and as a prosecutor during the Carter administration. Garland was nominated by President Obama to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court of the United States, however after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, he chose Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy instead. Having served as the Chief Justice of the D.C. Circuit Court for two decades, the cases he has heard have mostly been on federal regulations and therefore it is not clear what his legal philosophy is when it comes to abortion or LGBT rights. Garland was confirmed as Attorney General on March 10, 2021 by a vote of 70-30.

Views on Abortion:

• Planned Parenthood praised the decision of President Barrack Obama to appoint Garland to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s vacancy on the U.S Supreme Court in 2016 (See link)

Views on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity:

• LGBT groups praised his nomination (See link)