DOJ Drops High-Profile Police Department Lawsuits

Clear Facts

• The Department of Justice has dismissed lawsuits filed by the Biden administration against police departments in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Federal judges raised significant concerns regarding the DOJ’s claims against these police departments, which the Biden administration could not adequately address.
• Investigations into six other police departments across the country will also be closed, as announced by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken decisive action by dismissing lawsuits initiated by the Biden administration against the police departments in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. This move follows the inability of the Biden DOJ to satisfactorily respond to “serious questions” posed by federal judges overseeing the cases, as stated by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

Among the inquiries that the DOJ struggled to address were questions regarding the disproportionate impact of policing on black individuals by the Louisville Metro Police Department and the frequency of unlawful use of force by officers. Dhillon highlighted these concerns during a press briefing.

District Court Judge Benjamin Beaton had previously expressed concerns about the implications of such decrees, noting that they could “bind elected officials and their successors for years” and involve significant financial commitments. Beaton pointed out that funding a court-appointed monitor for the Louisville Metro Police could cost “more than $7 million dollars.”

The decision to dismiss these lawsuits comes after former Attorney General Bill Barr had declined requests to proceed with investigations into these departments back in 2020. The deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd had sparked nationwide protests and unrest, leading to widespread discussions about police reform.

In addition to the dismissal of the lawsuits against Louisville and Minneapolis, the DOJ will also close investigations into six other police departments, including those in Phoenix, Arizona; Trenton, New Jersey; and Memphis, Tennessee, among others. Dhillon made this announcement, indicating a broader reevaluation of ongoing federal consent decrees.

Kristen Clarke, who led the Civil Rights Division under the Biden administration, had been an advocate for defunding the police. According to Dhillon, this perspective “informed” many of the investigations pursued during that period.

Dhillon emphasized that the dismissed consent decrees are “only a portion” of those currently under review. She added, “We are undertaking a review of all pending federal consent decrees that the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division requested with a view towards whether they should be concluded.”

The review aims to address the prolonged nature of many consent decrees, some of which have persisted for over a decade, with significant financial implications for police departments.

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