February 18, 2021

The HonorableRichardJ. Durbin Chairman,Committeeon the Judiciary UnitedStatesSenate 224 DirksenSenateOffice Building Washington,D.C.20510

The Honorable Charles E. Grassley Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Durbin & Ranking Member Grassley:

We, the undersigned, are more than 150 former United States Attorneys and other senior Department of Justice officials. Collectively, we have served in 46 states and the District of Columbia under both Democratic and Republican Administrations. We write in support of President Biden’s nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland to serve as Attorney General of the United States and to express our strong belief that Judge Garland is not only supremely qualified for the position, but is also well-equipped to address the many challenges before us.

Judge Garland has dedicated much of his life to the American justice system. Following his Second Circuit and Supreme Court clerkships, he began his career at the Department of Justice before moving to private practice, where he represented clients in commercial cases with a focus on administrative and antitrust law. Judge Garland later served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted narcotics activity and white-collar crime, as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, and as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General. In this last role, he worked on many of the Department of Justice’s most crucial investigations, including the Oklahoma City bombing and the UNABOMBER case. He became deeply respected by his colleagues for his commitment to evenhanded application of the law without regard for political pressures or media scrutiny.

Throughout his twenty-four years on the bench, Judge Garland has demonstrated his commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law. He has been praised for his absolute fidelity to statutory law as clarified by precedent. His lifelong commitment to civil rights has often been manifested in his decisions that have ensured that individuals are protected from unlawful discrimination regardless of age, race, or gender.

Judge Garland’sfamiliaritywith public and privatelitigationin varied areasof the law,as well as his time on the D.C.Circuit,make him well-suitedto lead the Departmentof Justice. Moreover,hisreputationfor impartialityand hissteadfastcommitmentto fairness will inspirea Departmentthat prioritizesits independenceand integrity. The work and reputation of the Department of Justice are as important as they have ever been. Judge Garland is the right person to ensure the fair administration of justice, whether related to national security, public integrity, civil rights, antitrust, crime, or other pressing issues. He is also the right person to do so with integrity, humility, and a complete understanding of the substantial responsibility on his shoulders at this time. As Judge Garland himself expressed when he was nominated, the rule of law is the very foundation of our democracy. And we can unequivocally state that Judge Garland is the right person to ensure that the rule of law remains, in our national consciousness, one of our most deeply-held values.

We are confident that Judge MerrickGarlandwill dedicate himselfto the Departmentof Justice and itsvalues,and we urge the Senate to confirm himpromptlyas the next Attorney Generalof the UnitedStates.

Sincerely,

AlbertoR.Gonzales Eric Holder Attorney Generalof the UnitedStates, Attorney General of the United States, 2005 – 2007 2009 – 2015; Deputy Attorney General, 1997 – 2001; U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia, 1993 – 1997

LorettaLynch Michael B.Mukasey Attorney Generalof the UnitedStates, Attorney General of the United States, 2015 – 2017; U.S.Attorney,E.Districtof 2007 – 2009 New York,2010 – 2015

StuartM.Gerson Peter Keisler ActingAttorney General of the UnitedStates, Acting Attorney General of the United States, 1993; Assistant Attorney General, 2007; Assistant Attorney General for the Civil 1989– 1993 Division, 2003 – 2007; Acting Associate Attorney General and Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General, 2002

Sally Q. Yates Donald Ayer Acting Attorney General of the United States, Deputy Attorney General, 1989 – 1990; U.S. 2017; Deputy Attorney General, 2015 – 2017; Attorney, E. District of California, U.S. Attorney, N. District of Georgia, 2004, 1982 – 1986 2010 – 2015

James M.Cole Carol E. Dinkins Deputy Attorney General, 2010 – 2015 Deputy Attorney General, 1984 – 1985; Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, 1981 – 1983 Mark R. Filip Jamie S. Gorelick Deputy Attorney General, 2008 – 2009 Deputy Attorney General, 1994 – 1997

DavidW. Ogden Larry D. Thompson DeputyAttorney General,2009 – 2010; Deputy Attorney General, 2001– 2003; U.S. AssistantAttorney Generalfor the Civil Attorney, N.District of Georgia, 1982 – 1986 Division,1999– 2001

EdwardC. O’Callaghan GaryG.Grindler ActingDeputyAttorney General,2019; ActingDeputyAttorneyGeneral,2010; PrincipalAssociateDeputyAttorney General Chiefof Staff to the AttorneyGeneral, 2018 – 2019 2011– 2012; PrincipleAssociateDeputy AttorneyGeneral,1999

Theodore B. Olson Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. Solicitor General, 2001 – 2004; Assistant Solicitor General, 2011– 2016 Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, 1981 – 1984

Seth Waxman Walter E. Dellinger III Solicitor General, 1997 – 2001 Acting Solicitor General, 1996 – 1997; Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, 1993 – 1996

Ian Heath Gershengorn Neal Kumar Katyal Acting Solicitor General 2016 – 2017; Acting Solicitor General, 2010 – 2011; Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, 2013 – 2016 2009 – 2011

Wayne Budd Daniel Marcus Associate Attorney General, 1992 – 1993; Associate Attorney General, 2000 – 2001 U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts, 1989 – 1992

Kevin J. O’Connor Thomas J. Perrelli Associate Attorney General, 2008 – 2009; Associate Attorney General, 2009 – 2012 U.S. Attorney, District of Connecticut, 2002 – 2008

John Schmidt Tony West Associate Attorney General, 1994 – 1997 Associate Attorney General, 2012 – 2014; Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, 2009 – 2012 William Baer BrianA. Benczkowski Acting Associate Attorney General, AssistantAttorney Generalfor the Criminal 2016 – 2017; Assistant Attorney General for Division,2018 – 2020 the Antitrust Division, 2013 – 2016

LannyBreuer Michael Chertoff AssistantAttorney Generalfor the Criminal Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division,2009 – 2013 Division, 2001 – 2003; U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1990 – 1994

Alice S. Fisher Kenneth Wainstein AssistantAttorney Generalfor the Criminal Assistant Attorney General for National Division,2005 – 2008 Security, 2006 – 2008; U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia, 2004 – 2006

John C. Richter William F. Weld Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Criminal Division, 2005; U.S. Attorney, W. Division, 1986 – 1988; U.S. Attorney, District District of Oklahoma, 2005 – 2009 of Massachusetts, 1981 – 1986

KentAlexander A. Lee Bentley,III U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Georgia, U.S.Attorney,MiddleDistrictof Florida, 1994 – 1997 2013 – 2017

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Donna A. Bucella Dennis K.Burke U.S.Attorney, Middle District of Florida, U.S.Attorney, District of Arizona, 1999 – 2001 2009 – 2011

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RobertJ. Cleary SanfordC. Coats U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Jersey, U.S.Attorney,W. District of Oklahoma, 1999– 2002 2009 – 2016

W.J. Michael Cody MichaelW. Cotter U.S.Attorney, W. District of Tennessee, U.S.Attorney, District of Montana, 1977 – 1981 2009 – 2017

RichardCullen Deirde M.Daly U.S.Attorney, E.District of Virginia, U.S.Attorney, District of Connecticut, 1991– 1993 2013 – 2017

GregoryDavis ThomasE.DelahantyII U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof Mississippi, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Maine, 2012 – 2017 1980 – 1981,2010 – 2017

StevenDettelbach TammyDickinson U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Ohio, U.S.Attorney,W. District of Missouri, 2009 – 2016 2013 – 2017

EdwardL.Dowd,Jr. Jenny A. Durkan U.S.Attorney,E.District of Missouri, U.S.Attorney,W. District of Washington, 1993 – 1999 2009 – 2014

Conner Eldridge Zachary Fardon U.S.Attorney, W. District of Arkansas, U.S.Attorney, N.District of Illinois, 2010 – 2015 2013 – 2017

DavidFein Wifredo Ferrer U.S.Attorney, District of Connecticut, U.S.Attorney, S. District of Florida, 2010 – 2013 2010 – 2017

Paul J. Fishman JohnFishwick U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Jersey, U.S.Attorney,W. District of Virginia, 2009 – 2017 2015 – 2017

RobertB.Fiske,Jr. PatrickFitzgerald U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof New York, U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Illinois, 1976 – 1980 2001– 2012 DeborahR.Gilg Wendy H.Goggin U.S.Attorney,Districtof Nebraska, U.S.Attorney,MiddleDistrictof Tennessee, 2009 – 2017 1998 – 2000

JonathanL.Goldstein BoothGoodwin U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Jersey, U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof West Virginia, 1974 – 1977 2010 – 2015

Walt Green Barry R.Grissom U.S.Attorney, Middle District of Louisiana, U.S.Attorney, District of Kansas, 2014 – 2017 2010 – 2016

Melinda Haag Kerry B.Harvey U.S.Attorney, N.District of California, U.S.Attorney, E. District of Kentucky, 2010 – 2015 2010 – 2017

TimothyJ. Heaphy ThomasB.Heffelfinger U.S.Attorney,W. District of Virginia, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Minnesota, 2009 – 2014 1991– 1993,2001– 2006

KarenP.Hewitt FaithS. Hochberg U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof California, U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Jersey, 2007 – 2010 1994 – 1999

DwightC. Holton Walter C.Holton,Jr. U.S.Attorney,Districtof Oregon, U.S.Attorney,M.Districtof NorthCarolina, 2010 – 2011 1994 – 2001

John Horn Roscoe C. Howard,Jr. U.S.Attorney, N.District of Georgia, U.S.Attorney, District of Columbia, 2015 – 2017 2001– 2004

Marcos DanielJiménez BrendanJohnson U.S.Attorney, S. District of Florida, U.S.Attorney, District of South Dakota, 2002 – 2005 2009 – 2015

B.Todd Jones John P.Kacavas U.S.Attorney,Districtof Minnesota, U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Hampshire, 1998 – 2001,2009 – 2013 2009 – 2015 DavidN.Kelley WilliamC. Killian U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof New York, U.S.Attorney,E.District of Tennessee, 2003 – 2005 2010 – 2015

NickKlinefeldt KathrynLandreth U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof Iowa, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Nevada, 2009 – 2015 1993 – 2001

William Leone James A. Lewis U.S.Attorney, District of Colorado, U.S.Attorney, Central District of Illinois, 2004 – 2006 2010 – 2016

Jessie K.Liu KarenLoeffler U.S.Attorney, District of Columbia, U.S.Attorney, District of Alaska, 2017 – 2020 2010 – 2015

George Lowe NeilMacBride U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof New York, U.S.Attorney,E.Districtof Virginia, 1978 – 1982 2009 – 2013

RonaldC. Machen PamelaC.Marsh U.S.Attorney,District of Columbia, U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Florida, 2010 – 2015 2010 – 2015

DamonMartinez Jay P. McCloskey U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Mexico, U.S. Attorney, District of Maine, 1993 – 2001 2014 – 2017

John McKay Michael D. McKay U.S.Attorney, W. District of Washington, U.S.Attorney, W. District of Washington, 2001– 2006 1989 – 1993

Barbara McQuade Zane DavidMemeger U.S.Attorney, E.District of Michigan, U.S.Attorney, E.District of Pennsylvania, 2010 – 2017 2010 – 2016

PatrickMiles,Jr. EricS. Miller U.S.Attorney,W. District of Michigan, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Vermont, 2012 – 2017 2015 – 2017

GregMiller Jan PaulMiller U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Florida, U.S.Attorney,Central Districtof Illinois, 2002 – 2008 2002 – 2005 MichaelJ. Moore FlorenceNakakuni U.S.Attorney,MiddleDistrictof Georgia, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Hawaii, 2010 – 2015 2009 – 2017

Peter F.Neronha BillNettles U.S.Attorney,Districtof Rhode Island, U.S.Attorney,Districtof SouthCarolina, 2009 – 2017 2010 – 2016

Thomas P. O’Brien CharlesOberly U.S.Attorney, Central District of California, U.S.Attorney, District of Delaware, 2007 – 2009 2010 – 2017

Wendy Olson Carmen M.Ortiz U.S. Attorney, District of Idaho, 2010 – 2017 U.S.Attorney, District of Massachusetts, 2009 – 2017

MatthewD.Orwig ChanningPhillips U.S.Attorney,E.District of Texas, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Columbia, 2001– 2007 2015 – 2017

Tim Purdon RipleyRand U.S.Attorney,Districtof NorthDakota, U.S.Attorney,MiddleDistrict of North 2010 – 2015 Carolina,2011– 2017

CaroleRendon EmilyGray Rice U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Ohio, U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Hampshire, 2016 – 2017 2016 – 2017

DavidRivera RichardA. Rossman U.S.Attorney, Middle District of Tennessee, U.S.Attorney, E. District of Michigan, 2013 – 2017 1980 – 1981

Sarah R.Saldaña Scott Schools U.S.Attorney, N.District of Texas, U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof California, 2011– 2014 2007 – 2008; U.S.Attorney,District of South Carolina,2001

Samuel K.Skinner Chuck Stevens U.S.Attorney, N.District of Illinois, U.S.Attorney, E.District of California, 1975 – 1977 1993 – 1997

CarterStewart BrianStretch U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof Ohio, U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof California, 2009 – 2016 2016 – 2018 EdwardJ. Tarver KevinW. Techau U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof Georgia, U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Iowa, 2009 – 2017 2014 – 2017

R.E.Thompson J. StromThurmond,Jr. U.S.Attorney,Districtof New Mexico, U.S.Attorney,Districtof SouthCarolina, 1978 – 1982 2001– 2005

Anne M.Tompkins Joyce White Vance U.S.Attorney, W. District of North Carolina, U.S.Attorney, N.District of Alabama, 2010 – 2015 2009 – 2017

John W. Vaudreuil BenjaminB. Wagner U.S.Attorney, W. District of Wisconsin, U.S.Attorney, E.District of California, 2010 – 2017 2010 – 2016

ThomasWalker John Walsh U.S.Attorney,E.District of NorthCarolina, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Colorado, 2011– 2016 2010 – 2016

Atlee W. Wampler III MaryJo White U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof Florida, U.S.Attorney,S. District of NewYork, 1980 – 1982 1993 – 2002

Joe D. Whitley DannyWilliams U.S. Attorney, N. District of Georgia, U.S.Attorney,N.Districtof Oklahoma, 1990 – 1993; U.S. Attorney, M. District of 2012 – 2017 Georgia, 1981 – 1986

DebraWongYang VincentH.Cohen,Jr. U.S.Attorney,Central District of California, ActingU.S.Attorney,Districtof Columbia, 2002 – 2006 2015

Stephanie Yonekura Jeffrey A. Taylor Acting U.S.Attorney, Central District of InterimU.S.Attorney, District of Columbia, California,2014 – 2015 2006 – 2009