This Monday, on February 22 Merrick Garland stood before the Senate Judiciary Committee promising to uphold the vows of his position and the integrity of the Justice Department if confirmed as Attorney General. He specifically noted that he will remain independent of partisan influences “I am not the President’s lawyer. I am the United States’ lawyer”. His first priority is the January 6th attack on the Capitol. “We begin with the people on the ground and we work our way up to those who were involved and further involved,” said Garland. “We will pursue these leads wherever they take us.”

Garland has also emphasized that the roots of extremism and those groups could pose problems for the future. In his opening statement he stated that “Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment, and the criminal justice system and bear the brunt of the harm caused by pandemic, pollution and climate change,”. ​Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey asked Garland to shed light on his personal story and motivation for this position. Garland responded while holding back tears, “I come from a family where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution. The country took us in and protected us. I feel an obligation to the country to pay back.”

With over 20 years of highly respected bipartisan service as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit under his belt; republican senators are willing to vote for him. This includes Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. Cornyn said the nominee had met the senator’s criteria being a pledge to conduct investigations without succumbing to political influence.