Justice Department

Nearly a year after Ferguson, Mo. teenager Michael Brown Jr. was fatally shot by former police officer Darren Wilson, the Justice Department is confirming that police response to the traumatized community antagonized crowds, incited fear, and violated free speech. While Brown’s death sparked protests nationwide, demonstrations in Ferguson were often the ones that ended with police releasing […]

In 2012, a transgender woman Ashley Diamond, was arrested on burglary charges and was housed in a correctional facility with men. Although Diamond had been taking estrogen therapy for 17 years, she was denied access to her medication; her gender as a woman was not acknowleged by the Georgia Corrections Department. Diamond,now 36, subsequently sued […]

Despite a damning Justice Department report that found African-Americans made up 93 percent of arrests even though they only represent 67 percent of the Ferguson, Mo. population, the mayor is claiming the city does not have a race problem. In an interview Friday, Mayor James Knowles III rejected the scathing 102-page report, claiming police department practices are […]

The unrelenting winter weather may have not been ideal, but the below freezing temperatures didn’t dissuade demonstrators from gathering in front of the Ferguson, Mo. Police Department following the release of a damning Justice Department report that criticized police for their racially biased practices. It’s unknown just how many congregated in front of the brick structure — […]

Just one day after the New York Times reported the Department of Justice was set to fault the Ferguson, Mo. police department for making racially biased traffic stops and arrests, an official report is confirming that officers routinely violated the constitutional rights of the city’s black residents. The Justice Department report accuses the officers of making unjust traffic […]

A Justice Department investigation launched amid allegations the Ferguson, Mo. police department grossly violated civil rights isn’t complete, but according to officials, the report is expected to fault the department for “disproportionately ticketing and arresting African-Americans” over the years. According to the report, the racially biased traffic stops intensified years of racial animosity in the Missouri suburb. […]

At a Justice Department ceremony in honor of  Martin Luther King, Jr. today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a speech where he declared that improvements must be made to not only improve police officers’ safety, but steps must also be taken to rebuild the community’s trust in law enforcement through transparency. “The troubling reality is that […]

The official autopsy of Michael Brown was leaked earlier this week sparking more protests in Feguson and caused the Justice Department to condemn the release of the information. According to reports, Attorney General Eric Holder is “exasperated” over the “selective leaks” in the Brown case. Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump believes the leaks might be […]

Attorney General Eric Holder launched an initiative to study racial bias in an attempt to reduce racial tensions between African Americans and law enforcement agencies. Roland Martin, Rashad Robinson, Kim Brown and Joe Walker discussed what impact the Justice Department’s action will have on easing tensions in Black communities being policed by predominantly white law enforcement agencies. Martin […]

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday a proposal currently being examined by the U.S. Sentencing Commission that will pave the way for certain individuals who have been charged with nonviolent drug offenses to be eligible for reduced sentences. The news is the latest in a series of moves by the Justice Department to adjust […]

Attorney General Eric Holder released a video on the U.S. Department of Justice’s homepage Wednesday demanding the end of excessive solitary confinement for young detainees who suffer with mental illness. Holder warned that the practice of confining the juvenile prisoners can have lasting harm and impair their ability to reintegrate into society upon release. The […]

Attorney General Eric Holder and the U.S. Department of Justice released reports regarding accomplishments in various areas of the department. On Monday, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division released its accomplishments report for 2013. This report follows and adds to data that was collected and released by the division last year which highlighted key moves under Holder’s […]