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Right now about the acting attorney general matt whitaker with the president's no, ma'am tee to permanently take over the position, william barr. we're taking a look back at an important action by the last person in that office, jeff sessions, on his final days of attorney general jeff sessions signed a last minute order limiting the use of a tool for criminal jus test reform called consent decrees. more than a dozen cities have it to improve police departments. the order from sessions prevents more decrees, it sends a signal the doj is not a partner for reform. ferguson, missouri is one of th...

Perceived as simple decency. especially when you're running against an african-american candidate. >> i think of the fallout. for minorities in this country who are worried about the government representing them. these are the same people who want to kneel at a national anthem because they don't feel represented. and just last week one of sessions' final things leaving the office of attorney general was to weaken the power of the justice department's consent decrees, which is their main tool to bring over police -- to bring over police departments who may be practicing patterned of racism and ...

>> that's right. 100 100% abusive and you needed the feds to get in here. one idea that makes some sense is the sunset provision. that's the real beef of the officials. i think that's probably a decent idea. sometimes it will mean they still get away with it. you want to be sure there's no constitutional violations but these often go farther. >> just to illustrate this for our viewers, a lot of people live in cities where there's been consent decrees. there are some obscure things that lead to them.

Quarter -- two parties. for the past 20 years or so and especially during the obama administration the justice department used consent decrees to address systemic police problems. when the trump administration began, then attorney general sessions ordered a review of the consent decrees that the doj entered into with law enforcement around the country. as he packed up his office, he signed the memorandum adding three new requirements to any future desent decrees. a senior political appointee in the justice department must sign off on any agreements. rather than the career lawyers who typically...

Will be granted. they must have sunset dates. former attorney general harry litman. >> i want to go first. i could have sworn this administration is about less regulation. it sounds like it's more red tape. >> well, the consent decrees are more red tape. i think the order is about having less. the zifrl rights civil rights d find abusive practices and say sign here. the consent decrees have a lot of good ideas in them if you have infinite resources but the beef of the local officials is