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President Donald Trump's new Department of Justice has ordered the civil rights division to freeze all new cases or investigations, marking his latest step to reverse the Biden administration's policies and efforts.
On Wednesday (January 22), a memo was sent instructing civil rights attorneys to not file “any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest,” per the New York Times.
The freeze was implemented so Trump appointees can decide whether they want to "initiate any new cares" and ensure the government “speaks with one voice in its view of the law.”
The department was also instructed to freeze all activity involving consent decrees and to notify the chief of staff of any decrees that were finalized within the last 90 days. Consent decrees include agreements between local governments and the Justice Department to address police reform.
“The new administration may wish to reconsider settlements and consent decrees negotiated and approved during the prior administration,” the chief of staff wrote in the memo.
The move could interfere with agreements reached with Louisville following the deadly, no-knock raid against Breonna Taylor and in Minneapolis after the police killing of George Floyd. These agreements haven't received final approval from a federal judge.
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