Attorney General Merrick Garland gave his farewell address to the employees of the Department of Justice yesterday. Although only established as the DOJ in 1870, it has its origins in the Judiciary Act of 1789, creating the Office of the Attorney General and defining the powers of federal judges and dividing the country into judicial districts.
Congress, spurred by President Ulysses S. Grant, created the DOJ to protect the newly freed slaves from intimidation which they faced after the Civil War. As Garland stated, the DOJ is not merely a partisan tool of any President, but must remain independent of partisan political goals. The function of the DOJ is to pursue justice not politics.
The DOJ has had a rocky history from its attempts to protect minorities to the injustice of the Palmer raids in 1919-1920. It has worked with other federal agencies to dig out corruption and at times seemed weak, depending on its leadership. But as Garland said, it now faces new challenges in standing for justice, not politics.
Prayer for the Day
We know, O God of justice, what is required of us, yet we falter;
We know, O God of mercy, what we need to do, yet we hesitate;
We see the evil in the world around and claim we are helpless,
But you, O Lord, tug at our sleeves and call us to respond.
Move us, O Holy Spirit, beyond the excuses we create:
So we may live faithfully according to your Gospel.
We ask this in the name of the One who shows us how to live,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
It is the obligation of the Attorney General to make clear that the only way for the Justice Department to do the right thing is to do it the right way. That unjust means cannot achieve just ends.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, Friday, January 17, 2025
I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Oath of Office for the Attorney General of the United States
You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Justice, ad only justice shall you pursue.
Deuteronomy 16: 19-20