Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the 59th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act:

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law 59 years ago in the wake of a generations-long struggle to make real the promise of the 15th Amendment: that no American citizen be denied the right to vote on account of race.

The Act gave the Justice Department some of its most powerful tools to protect the right to vote.

Between 1965 and 2013, the Department was able to block more than 3,000 restrictive voting changes in jurisdictions with a history of suppressing the vote because of the law.

But court decisions in recent years drastically weakened the protections of the Voting Rights Act. Since those decisions, there has been a dramatic increase in legislative measures that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote and to elect the representatives of their choice.

The Justice Department is not standing down in the face of those restrictions. We are challenging discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot. We are working to block discriminatory redistricting plans. We are working with jurisdictions to ensure that their voting centers are accessible to voters with disabilities. We are defending the constitutionality of several Voting Rights Act provisions, including the prohibition on voter intimidation. And we continue to urge Congress to restore the provisions of the Voting Rights Act that courts have weakened, to ensure that we have the authorities we need to protect voting rights.

At the same time, efforts to undermine the right to vote have expanded to include a disturbing rise in threats of violence against the citizens we rely on to fairly administer voting — state and county elected officials, career administrators, and even volunteer poll workers.

The Justice Department has used and will continue to use every authority we have to protect the right to vote, and to protect the public servants who make voting possible. We are aggressively investigating and prosecuting threats of violence targeting election workers, officials, and volunteers.

While there are many things open to debate in our country, the right to vote must not be one of them. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, the right from which all others flow. The Justice Department will never stop working to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a vote that counts.”

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Director Wray, for that generous introduction – and to Acting Deputy Secretary Canegallo for your words. Federal law enforcement is fortunate to have great leaders in the two of you.

You know, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security together employ 80% of all federal law enforcement. So it’s fitting the Deputy Secretary and I are here together.

Now you may have heard rumors about a law enforcement rivalry between our two agencies – which I can neither confirm nor deny – but I can tell you that Deputy Secretary Canegallo and I are unified in our commitment to advancing women in law enforcement, and I’m grateful for her partnership. She is a terrific leader for DHS.

Thank you to WIFLE President Catrina Bonus and Vice President Jessie Lane for the invitation to speak today. It’s an honor to join WIFLE’s 25th Anniversary celebration.

I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this community of women in federal law enforcement – a community that exists in large part because of the vision of WIFLE’s founders.

I’m happy to see some of my former colleagues as well – great law enforcement leaders like Amy Jo Lyons and Regina Lombardo – two former presidents of WIFLE’s executive committee.

I think I first learned about WIFLE from Amy Jo when she was FBI’s Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Office and I was Director Mueller’s Chief of Staff.

And its great to see Regina Lombardo, former ATF Acting Director and trailblazer in that job.

We’re all here today for a simple reason: because we believe that women in law enforcement make our communities safer, and we need more of them on the job.

For 25 years, WIFLE has been leading the way to make this a reality. Today, WIFLE is the only non-profit in the country dedicated exclusively to recruiting, retaining, and promoting women in federal law enforcement. 

Because of WIFLE’s persistence in promoting women in the law enforcement profession, we’ve come a long way.

But there was a time when every federal law enforcement agent in this nation was a man.

Every single one.

And I guess that’s not hard to believe when we hear about experiences like Nancy McRae’s.

But thanks to trailblazers like her and those we honor today, and WIFLE’s founders, today there are thousands of women serving in federal law enforcement.

I’m proud to help lead the many of those women in the Department of Justice who every single day are fulfilling our mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our communities safe, and protect civil rights.

They are women serving as sworn law enforcement officers across the FBI, ATF, DEA, Marshal’s Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as well as the members of the Justice Protective Service who protect our facilities.

And they are women serving as analysts and in professional staff roles across the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies.

Today we honor some of the profession’s trailblazers.

Trailblazers is an appropriate term – because for all of us to move forward, someone had to go first.

The courage and service of those first women in federal law enforcement remain an inspiration today – and I’m so happy that many of them are here today.

I’d like to acknowledge:

• FBI Special Agent Susan Malone
• ATF Special Agent Ann Kocher
• U.S. Postal Inspector Janene Gordon
• And Secret Service Special Agents Phyllis Shantz, Kathryn Clark Childers, and Sue Ann Baker.

Your courage and service paved the path for the profession – and for women who followed in your footsteps.

Over the course of WIFLE’s 25-year history, we’ve seen sustained efforts by federal law enforcement agencies to recruit talented women to their ranks, and to retain them.

While the numbers of women in federal law enforcement have grown, the overall percentage of women across federal law enforcement has remained relatively constant – around 14%.

And that’s why initiatives like 30×30 are so important.

As the saying goes, you can’t be what you can’t see. And I’m guessing we’ve all had the experience at some point of looking around and seeing that we were the only woman in the room. I grew up with three brothers, so for me it started early.

So, we need more women in the pipeline to make that experience, the exception not the rule, and to fill the profession’s ranks – including at the executive level.

I’m proud that all of the Justice Department’s law enforcement components have signed onto the 30×30 Initiative.

I want to acknowledge Director Wray’s commitment on this and the leadership the FBI has shown in reaching this achievement with recent recruiting classes.

While 30×30 focuses on ensuring that women make up 30% of recruiting classes by 2030 – the recruiting classes are quite literally just the beginning.

It’s about recruiting more women to a career in law enforcement so that we are getting the best people for the job and strengthening our workforce across the board.

That’s why the leaders of the Justice Department’s law enforcement agencies are reaching out to colleges and universities across the country, speaking to students and promoting a more diverse profession for the next generation of criminal justice leaders, including for women.

They are running career fairs, building relationships with all-women colleges and universities, and developing targeted outreach programs for female veterans and military spouses to leverage their skills and experiences.

And it’s paying off: for instance DEA has increased women in senior executive positions by 11%.

But this effort is about more than increasing women’s representation and leadership in the profession – it’s about the safety of our communities.

Few professions stand to benefit more from adding women to their ranks than law enforcement.

Building trust with the communities we serve is critical to public safety.

Among other things, research shows that women officers are less likely than men to use excessive force; and they’re more effective at de-escalating volatile situations.

Our communities deserve to have confidence in law enforcement that is reflected in that research.

And women in law enforcement deserve the confidence of our communities.

Every woman who’s ever been the only woman in the room, at the table, or on a squad knows the feeling – the second guessing, the imposter syndrome, and worse.

Unfortunately, sometimes those critiques are not confined to the occasional voice in your head.

Recently it seems the ghost of J. Edgar Hoover is alive and well, voicing the outdated idea that women don’t belong in law enforcement.

Whether it’s in investigative, tactical, administrative – or, yes, protective roles – women in law enforcement make our communities safer.

Let me take this opportunity to say thank you to women and men of the U.S. Marshal’s Service who serve on my protective detail and keep me safe every day.

I’m grateful for their service.

The threats law enforcement is facing today are more complex and more dangerous than ever – that includes an unacceptable level of threats against public officials including law enforcement.

As these threats converge, I am certain of this: we need more women in law enforcement across more communities in more senior roles than ever.

At the Department of Justice, we have your back.

We celebrate your service, applaud your sacrifice, and appreciate everything you do to keep our public officials, our communities, and our country safe.

I have the privilege of witnessing that work every day. It’s visible across the Justice Department.

From DEA Administrator Anne Milgram to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Colette Peters – to the many women leading within the U.S. Marshals Service, the ATF, and FBI throughout the country – our communities and our country are better because of their outstanding work.

As with WIFLE’s trailblazers – it’s only when someone goes first can the rest of us see the way.

I’m here today – as Deputy Attorney General and as a woman in law enforcement – in large part because my first boss at the Justice Department was Janet Reno — the first woman Attorney General in our country’s history.

It took too long to reach that milestone.

So, we have to keep pushing toward WIFLE’s vision of what law enforcement can and should look like; we have to ensure women have the opportunity to advance in all areas of the profession; and to stay in the field for the long term.

That’s why this gathering is so important. And that’s why I couldn’t be prouder to celebrate WIFLE’s impact.

Congratulations again on 25 years. I can’t wait to see where we are in 25 more.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department today filed a civil lawsuit and announced a proposed settlement with Legends Hospitality Parent Holdings LLC (Legends) for an alleged violation of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act). 

As alleged in the department’s complaint, Legends engaged in illegal premerger coordination in connection with its proposed acquisition of ASM Global Inc. (ASM) by exercising operational control over aspects of ASM during the HSR waiting period involving venue management services for an arena in California.

“Companies must remain separate and independent before they close their merger.  Our complaint alleges that Legends did not live up to that obligation,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Andrew Forman of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The proposed settlement requires Legends to pay a meaningful civil penalty and imposes significant obligations to try to ensure that Legends complies with the law moving forward. I commend our tremendous investigative teams who remain vigilant in trying to ensure that there is no improper coordination between parties before closing.”

The civil antitrust lawsuit against Legends for an HSR Act violation was filed in the Southern District of New York. At the same time, the department filed a proposed final judgment that, if approved by the court, would resolve the department’s lawsuit.  The HSR Act prohibits companies from improperly combining operations or other aspects of their businesses before expiration of the required HSR Act waiting period.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, among other things, Legends must pay a $3.5 million civil penalty, refrain from certain conduct, appoint an Antitrust Compliance Officer, implement an antitrust training and compliance program and submit regular compliance reporting to the department.

Legends is a global venue services company headquartered in New York.

ASM is a venue management and services company headquartered in Los Angeles. 

As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed consent decree, along with the competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed consent decrees during a 60-day comment period to Chief Owen Kendler of the Antitrust Division’s Financial Services, Fintech, and Banking Section at 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 4000, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the District Court for the Southern District of New York may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.

The claims resolved by the resolution announced today are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department issued the following statements from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, regarding the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s decision in United States v. Google:

“This victory against Google is an historic win for the American people,” said Attorney General Garland. “No company — no matter how large or influential — is above the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws.”

“This landmark decision holds Google accountable. It paves the path for innovation for generations to come and protects access to information for all Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Kanter. “This victory is a reflection on the tireless efforts of the dedicated public servants at the Antitrust Division and our state law enforcement partners whose work made today’s decision possible.”