USA Ministry of Justice (DOJ) sent a memo to its civil rights division, ordering a freeze on all ongoing litigation stemming from the Biden administration and halting the pursuit of any new cases or settlements, according to reports.
The The Washington Post first reported that a memo sent to Kathleen Wolfe, the interim head of the department appointed by the Trump administration, directed her to ensure that attorneys do not file “any new complaints, motions to intervene, negotiated remands, amicus briefs or declarations of interest.”
The memorandum does not say how long the freeze will last, although it practically ends the division until the president Donald Trump the appointment of Head of Department, Harmeet Dhillon, is confirmed by the Senate.
The publication also reported that the freeze “is consistent with the Department’s goal to ensure that the Federal Government speaks with one voice on its view of the law and to ensure that persons appointed or appointed by the President have the opportunity to decide whether to bring new cases.”
Department of Justice in Washington, DC (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A source familiar with the memo confirmed its contents to Fox News.
The DOJ had no comment on that issue.
Wolfe was also told in another memo that the department must notify the DOJ chief of staff of any consent decrees finalized by the department in the past 90 days.
President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Earlier this month, a Kentucky judge refused to immediately sign a police reform consent decree forged by the DOJ and the city of Louisville during a hearing that one courtroom attendee described as a hasty attempt by the Biden administration to hamstring incoming President Trump.
But federal judge Benjamin Beaton refused to “rubber stamp” the 240-page reform plan that was prompted by the 2020 police-involved shooting of Breonna Taylor, according to Oversight Project counsel Kyle Brosnan.
Taylor was killed in a police shooting after Louisville officers tried to serve her on a drug warrant Kenneth Walker’s boyfriend house. Walker fired a “warning shot” through the door, striking Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.
PROPOSED REDUCTIONS TO CHICAGO POLICE COULD TAKE CITY TO COURT OVER CONSENT DECISION, OFFICIALS WARN
Photo by Breonna Taylor shared at the 2022 March for Black Women at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Frontline Action Hub)
A consent decree, Brosnan noted, differs from other legal agreements in that it cannot simply be overturned by a presidential order or a change of heart by one of the parties involved.
The consent decree alleges a pattern or practice of racial bias by Louisville police, including traffic stops, sexual assault investigations or use of force.
There are at least two other police reform consent decrees going through the legal process, one in Maryland and one in Minnesota.
On January 6, the DOJ reached an agreement with Minneapolis, which it still requires court approval, reform the department’s “unconstitutional and illegal practice” that allegedly violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 14th Amendment.
In October 2024, the feds sued the Maryland Department of State Police alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act.
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“The United States alleges that MDSP violated Title VII when it used a certain physical fitness test and a certain written test for entry-level employment because the tests disqualified more female and African-American applicants than others and were unrelated to the job,” the court filing states.
Maryland police dispute the allegations.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
