Biden to Nominate Appeals Court Judge Garland as Attorney General

Biden intends to nominate federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. attorney general, multiple media outlets have reported.

Biden transition team officials confirmed the news on Wednesday (Jan. 6), according to Reuters.

Garland is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Democrat Barack Obama nominated Biden for Supreme Court justice when he was vice president, but the Republican-controlled federal Senate at the time refused to hold hearings on the nomination.

CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, also confirmed Biden’s decision to nominate Garland as attorney general. Biden is expected to formally announce his nominee for attorney general as well as other senior leadership positions at the Justice Department as soon as Thursday (Jan. 7).

While Garland has been a top contender for attorney general for weeks, concerns that his selection would create a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia have raised alarm among Biden and many advisers, who believe Senate Republicans will block any nomination for the seat. But that concern was put to rest as Democrats came close to picking up two key U.S. Senate seats in Georgia.