The Honorablerichardj. Durbin Chairman,Committeeon the Judiciary Unitedstatessenate 224 Dirksensenateoffice Building Washington,D.C.20510
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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 DanielG. Bogden GregoryA. Brower U.S.Attorney,Districtof Nevada, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Nevada, 2001– 2007,2009 – 2017 2008 – 2009 KenyenBrown JohnL.Brownlee U.S.Attorney, S. District of Alabama, U.S.Attorney, W. District of Virginia, 2009 – 2017 2001– 2008 Donna A. Bucella Dennis K.Burke U.S.Attorney, Middle District of Florida, U.S.Attorney, District of Arizona, 1999 – 2001 2009 – 2011 RichardG.Callahan MarkT. Calloway U.S.Attorney,E.District of Missouri, U.S.Attorney,W. District of NorthCarolina, 2010 – 2017 1994 – 2001 Tony Canales RobertCapers U.S.Attorney,S. Districtof Texas, U.S.Attorney,E.Districtof New York, 1977 – 1980 2015 – 2017 DonaldJ. Cazayoux,Jr. Paul K.Charlton U.S.Attorney,MiddleDistrictof Louisiana, U.S.Attorney,Districtof Arizona, 2010 – 2013 2001– 2006 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