Biden reportedly picks Merrick Garland for attorney general

President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly made his pick for attorney general.
Biden will nominate Judge Merrick Garland to serve as attorney general in his administration, Politico reported on Wednesday. Garland had been reported to be in the running for the role, and Biden reportedly chose him over former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Al.) and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates, who were also in the mix.
Garland serves on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and he was previously nominated by former President Barack Obama to serve on the Supreme Court in 2016. But Senate Republicans, who argued a new Supreme Court justice shouldn't be seated in an election year, did not hold confirmation hearings for him. Four years later, Senate Republicans confirmed Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in 2020, which was also an election year.
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.
While Politico reports that Jones was considered the candidate who would be most easily confirmed by a Republican-controlled Senate, and picking Garland was "considered a risk in that it would be difficult to confirm a replacement for him on the appellate court," the "confirmation issues with other candidates largely dissipated" after Democrats looked likely to regain control of the Senate in the Georgia runoffs.
Indeed, The Washington Post's Dave Weigel noted that "with control of the Senate, this allows Biden to fill Garland's seat, generally seen as the most important judgeship below SCOTUS."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Magazine solutions - June 27, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Magazine printables - June 27, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - June 27, 2025
-
Army commissions tech execs as officer recruits
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Some of the tech industry's most powerful players are answering the call of Uncle Sam
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein