U.S. Department of Justice’s Post

Today, the Justice Department hosted a special program and celebration, “The 1964 Civil Rights Act at 60: Commemorating the Legacy, Championing the Future" honoring the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The program featured remarks from Department leadership, as well as a panel discussion with essential government partners and civil rights advocates who honored past and present efforts to achieve equal rights under the law. Read the Attorney General's full remarks: https://lnkd.in/gKzeCTTh

Man Sentenced for Sending Death Threat to Michigan Election Worker An Indiana man was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for sending a communication that included death threats to an election worker in Michigan shortly after the November 2020 election. “The Justice Department has no tolerance for violent threats against election workers, officials, and volunteers, and as this case demonstrates, we will aggressively investigate and prosecute such threats to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to defend the right to vote and to defend the safety of the public servants who make voting possible.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/daWfFAVQ

Justice Department Leads Efforts Among Federal, International, and Private Sector Partners to Disrupt Covert Russian Government-Operated Social Media Bot Farm Russia’s State-Run RT News Network Developed and Federal Security Service Operated the Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Bot Farm to Disseminate Disinformation to Sow Discord in the United States and Elsewhere The Justice Department today announced the seizure of two domain names and the search of 968 social media accounts used by Russian actors to create an AI-enhanced social media bot farm that spread disinformation in the United States and abroad. The social media bot farm used elements of AI to create fictitious social media profiles — often purporting to belong to individuals in the United States — which the operators then used to promote messages in support of Russian government objectives, according to affidavits unsealed today. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gq-bwAQ4

The Justice Department issued the following statement today from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: “The Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law 60 years ago today, gave the Justice Department some of its most important tools to protect Americans from discrimination, including at school, in the workplace, in voting, and in places of public accommodation. Today, we remember the generations of Americans who risked their lives – and the many who sacrificed their lives – in the struggle to claim the rights guaranteed to Black Americans, and to all Americans, under the Constitution. We recognize the continued dedication of our partners in the civil rights community who are the inheritors of that legacy. And we honor the public servants across the Justice Department who have worked to fulfill the promise of the Civil Rights Act over the past six decades and continue to do so today. Before signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law 60 years ago, President Lyndon Baines Johnson addressed the American people, saying, ‘the Civil Rights Act is a challenge to all of us to work in our communities and our States, in our homes and in our hearts, to eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in our beloved country.’ Today, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the Justice Department renews our commitment to meeting that challenge.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBG_zEuY

U.S. Marshals Find 200 Missing Children Across the Nation During Operation We Will Find You 2 The U. S. Marshals Service, along with federal, state, and local agencies in seven federal judicial districts and geographical locations across the United States, led a six-week national operation that resulted in finding 200 critically missing children, which includes endangered runaways and those abducted by noncustodial persons. Operation We Will Find You 2 (OWWFY2), the second-of-its-kind nationwide missing child operation, was conducted from May 20 to June 24 and focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing children. Children who go missing may be in serious danger and can be vulnerable to child sex trafficking, abuse, exploitation, and other crimes against children. With technical assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), OWWFY2 resulted in the recovery and removal of 123 children from dangerous situations. An additional 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement or child welfare agencies. Of the 200 children found, 173 were endangered runaways, 25 were considered otherwise missing, one was a family abduction, and one was a non-family abduction. The youngest child recovered was five months old. 14 of the children were found outside the city where they went missing. Additionally, of the missing children recovered, 57% were recovered within seven days of the USMS assisting with the case. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gPjNYz98

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the Supreme Court’s decision in Fischer v. United States “January 6 was an unprecedented attack on the cornerstone of our system of government — the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. I am disappointed by today’s decision, which limits an important federal statute that the Department has sought to use to ensure that those most responsible for that attack face appropriate consequences. The vast majority of the more than 1,400 defendants charged for their illegal actions on January 6 will not be affected by this decision. There are no cases in which the Department charged a January 6 defendant only with the offense at issue in Fischer. For the cases affected by today’s decision, the Department will take appropriate steps to comply with the Court’s ruling. We will continue to use all available tools to hold accountable those criminally responsible for the January 6 attack on our democracy.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/geDqUQ4P

Last night, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered remarks honoring the 28th anniversary of Ukrainian Constitution Day and highlighted the Department’s continued support of the people of Ukraine as they seek justice and freedom. Read his full remarks: https://lnkd.in/gcDfmpmb

Alaska Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening U.S. Senator An Alaska man pleaded guilty yesterday to making interstate threats to kidnap and injure a sitting U.S. Senator. According to court documents, Arther Graham, 46, of Kenai, sent a web form submission to a U.S. Senator on Sept. 28, 2023, threatening to injure the Senator. Congressional staff members reported the threat to the U.S. Capitol Police and an investigation was launched. “Threats of violence against public servants are abhorrent and unacceptable, and as this plea makes clear, the Justice Department will not tolerate them,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our democracy depends on the ability of members of Congress to do their jobs without fearing for their safety. The Justice Department will continue to do everything in our power to protect those who serve the public and to hold accountable those who endanger them.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHuaMhJQ