February is Black History Month and that history is intimately linked with surveillance by the federal government in the name of national security. Indeed, the history of surveillance in the African-American community plays an important role in the debate around spying today and in the calls for a congressional investigation into that surveillance. Days after the first NSA leaks emerged last June, EFF called for a new Church Committee. We mentioned that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was one of the targets of the very surveillance that eventually led to the formation of the first Church Committee. This Black History Month, we should remember the many African-American activists who were targeted by intelligence agencies. Their stories serve as cautionary tales for the expanding surveillance state.
February 23, 2021 Share
Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s attorney general nominee, vowed Monday to prioritize combating extremist violence with an initial focus on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as he sought to assure lawmakers that the Justice Department would remain politically independent on his watch.
A federal appeals court judge who was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court in 2016, Garland is now among Biden’s most widely supported nominees, putting him on track for a quick confirmation potentially within days. He will inherit a Justice Department that endured a tumultuous era under former president Donald Trump rife with political drama and controversial decisions and that faced abundant criticism from Democrats over what they saw as the politicizing of the nation’s top law enforcement agencies.
Monday's Merrick Garland confirmation hearing saw President Joe Biden's attorney general nominee vow to address domestic extremism, make the Capitol riot his first priority, and ensure the Justice Department will remain politically independent.
Biden's pick touts prosecuting Timothy McVeigh for 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, assures lawmakers that Justice Department would remain independent on his watch
WASHINGTON (AP) Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden s attorney general nominee, vowed Monday to prioritize combating extremist violence with an initial focus on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as