WASHINGTON – Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's nominee for attorney general, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing on Monday. Here are some key facts to know about Biden's nominee to run the Justice Department:
NAME: Brian Merrick Garland
Recommended Videos
AGE: 68
BIRTHPLACE: Chicago, Illinois
EDUCATION: Harvard College, 1970-1974; Harvard Law School, 1974-77
MOST RECENT LEGAL EXPERIENCE: 1997-Present: Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. 1993-1997: Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division.
KEY CASE: While at the Justice Department, Garland supervised the investigation into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
PRIOR NOMINATIONS: Garland was nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2016 to a seat on the Supreme Court, but Republicans refused to hold confirmation hearings and waited to fill the slot until Donald Trump won the election and selected his own pick.
KEY QUOTE FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL HEARING: “The president nominates the attorney general to be the lawyer, not for any individual, but for the people of the United States.”
___
This story was first published on Feb. 22, 2021. It was updated on Feb. 23, 2021, to correct Garland's age. He is 68, not 67.