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President-elect Joe Biden will select Merrick Garland as the next attorney general of the United States, according to sources close to the presidential transition team on Wednesday.
Garland, a federal appeals court judge in Washington, D.C., was nominated for a Supreme Court seat by President Obama to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, but snubbed by Republicans six months before the 2016 presidential election. Garland’s nomination expired prior to President Trump taking office on January 3, 2017. The seat was eventually filled by Neil Gorsuch, who was appointed by Trump on April 10, 2017.
Biden is expected to announce Garland’s appointment on Thursday. He will also name two other senior leaders of his incoming administration with Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general.
Garland’s resume features a lengthy tenure at the Department of Justice going back to 1979. He oversaw high-profile domestic terrorism cases including the Oklahoma City Bombing, the “Unabomber” and the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic bombing.
A solid set of credentials for Garland that is likely to be an automatic confirmation for Biden.
