The USA Ministry of Justice (DOJ) sent a memo to the Civil Rights Division ordering a freeze on all pending lawsuits originating from the Biden administration and halting the pursuit of new cases or settlements, according to reports.
The Washingtonpost first reported that a memo to Kathleen Wolfe, the interim head of the department appointed by the Trump administration, instructed her to ensure that attorneys do not file new complaints, motions to intervene, preliminary remands, amicus briefs or depositions . important.”
The memo makes no mention of how long the freeze will last, though it will virtually end the division all the way to the president Donald Trump’s The nomination to head the department, Harmeet Dhillon, is confirmed by the Senate.
The publication also reported that the freeze was “consistent with the Ministry’s objective to ensure that the Federal Government speaks with one voice in its views on the law and to ensure that the President’s appointees or designees have the opportunity to decide whether new business should be started. “
The Department of Justice in Washington, DC (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A source familiar with the memo confirmed its contents to Fox News.
The DOJ had no comment on the case.
Wolfe was also told in another memo that the division must inform the DOJ chief of staff of any consent decrees the division has completed in the past 90 days.
President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Earlier this month, a Kentucky judge refused to immediately sign a consent decree for police reform drafted by the DOJ and the city of Louisville, during a hearing that one courtroom participant described as a hasty effort by the Biden administration to hinder the incoming President Trump.
But federal Judge Benjamin Beaton declined to be a “rubber stamp” for a 240-page reform plan following the 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor, according to Oversight Project consultant Kyle Brosnan.
Taylor was killed in a hail of police gunfire after Louisville officers tried to serve her a drug warrant friend Kenneth Walker house. Walker fired a “warning shot” through the door, hitting Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.
A photo of Breonna Taylor shared at the 2022 Defend Black Women March at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Frontline Action Hub)
A consent decree, Brosnan noted, differs from other legal agreements in that it cannot simply be reversed by a presidential order or a change of mind by any of the parties involved.
The consent decree alleged a pattern or practice of racial bias in law enforcement in Louisville, including in traffic stops, sexual assault investigations or use of force.
There are at least two other consent decrees for police reform going through the legal process, one in Maryland and one in Minnesota.
On January 6, the DOJ reached an agreement with Minneapolis, which is still required court approval, to reform the department’s “unconstitutional and unlawful practices” that allegedly violate the Americans With Disabilities Act and the 14th Amendment.
In October 2024, the FBI sued the Maryland Department of State Police for violating the Civil Rights Act.
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“The United States alleges that MDSP violated Title VII when it used a certain physical fitness test and a certain written test to hire entry-level Troopers because the tests disqualified more female and African American applicants than others and were not job-related,” said a court. document status.
Maryland law enforcement disputes the allegations.
Charles Creitz of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
