Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ordered a top-to-bottom review of the U.S. Attorneys' Manual, a guide for federal prosecutors and other Justice Department lawyers, and the changes span everything from minor edits to entire sections being removed, BuzzFeed News reports. There is new language urging prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges possible, intervene in cases where religious liberties are in question, and report "any contact with a member of the media about a DOJ matter." Gone is language opposing racial gerrymandering and an entire subsection, in the manual since at least 1988, titled "Need for Free Press and Public Trial," BuzzFeed reports. It used to read:
Likewise, careful weight must be given in each case to the constitutional requirements of a free press and public trials as well as the right of the people in a constitutional democracy to have access to information about the conduct of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and courts, consistent with the individual rights of the accused. Further, recognition should be given to the needs of public safety, the apprehension of fugitives, and the rights of the public to be informed on matters that can affect enactment or enforcement of public laws or the development or change of public policy. [U.S. Attorneys' Manual, via BuzzFeed]
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Is ChatGPT's new search engine OpenAI's Google 'killer'?Talking Point There's a new AI-backed search engine in town. But can it stand up to Google's decades-long hold on internet searches?
-
Crossword: November 5, 2024The Week's daily crossword
-
Sudoku hard: November 5, 2024The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopicsSpeed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
