(WASHINGTON) — Officials in the Trump Justice Department have ordered a temporary freeze on any ongoing cases being litigated by the Civil Rights Division, according to a new directive reviewed by ABC News.
The memo to the current acting head of the Civil Rights Division, Kathleen Wolfe, says that current career officials in the division must not file any new civil complaints or other civil rights-related filings in outside ongoing litigation. The memo was first reported by The Washington Post.
Wolfe was separately directed to notify Trump-appointed department leaders of any consent decrees — court-enforceable agreements to reform police agencies — the Biden administration reached with cities in the final 90 days leading up to the inauguration.
The Biden administration finalized consent decrees with officials in Louisville, Kentucky and Minneapolis during the former president’s final weeks in office.
The consent decrees involve two high-profile police-involved killings. In Louisville, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in a botched police raid in 2020. In Minneapolis, George Floyd was killed while being taken into police custody on Memorial Day 2020.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump represents the Taylor and Floyd families in their civil lawsuits. He spoke with ABC News’ Linsey Davis on Tuesday to offer his thoughts on the move by the Trump administration regarding civil rights investigations and consent decrees.
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.
ABC NEWS: Just days ago, Trump officials paused all Department of Justice civil rights investigations and froze court-ordered police reforms. For a look at what that means for ongoing and potential future cases, civil rights attorney Ben Crump joins us now.
Thank you so much, Mr. Crump, for joining us. Just want to start with your reaction to this pause on, on civil rights investigations.
BEN CRUMP: This is very disturbing. Talking with Breonna Taylor’s mother, who was still waiting the prosecution of the officers that were involved in the killing of her daughter, who was in her own apartment. They lied on the probable cause affidavit to get a no knock warrant to go into the apartment in the first place. She’s devastated, but we know that we’re not giving up.
We’re going to be strategic in talking with the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, who entered into the consent agreement, to say that “Hopefully you won’t condone what happened to Breonna,” just like we’re talking to the mayor of Minneapolis saying, “Do you condone what happened on that video when they kept a knee on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds?”
Because the families see this freezing of the DOJ’s prosecutions as condoning these criminal actions. And we call them criminal because officers have been convicted for those crimes.
ABC NEWS: You mentioned both those families. Have you heard from them, how they’re reacting to this?
CRUMP: Well, you know, as I said, Breonna’s mother is very heartbroken, Linsey. Very heartbroken. She’s fought so hard to get whatever measure of justice and accountability she could. Her daughter had her body mutilated with eight bullet holes. And she doesn’t believe that the Department of Justice would stop the consent decree that was agreed to by the city in the aftermath of her daughter’s death.
She is just shocked that they would do this, just like George Floyd’s family is shocked. When you look at that video, how could you say that you want to halt the prosecution of all the agreements that were made by those cities and their police departments to try to prevent this from ever happening again?
ABC NEWS: As you know, the Justice Department recently reached an agreement with the city of Louisville to reform the city’s police department. It’s one of several such consent decrees reached in the final days of the Biden administration. What happens to those agreements now?
CRUMP: Well, the cities have a say so in it. Obviously, we have been told that the Department of Justice isn’t going to do anything to go forward with those consent decrees. And it’s very troubling because we think this and many of the things that this administration have done in just its first week is going to test the elasticity of the constitutional protections that many Americans enjoy.
And that is what’s so heartbreaking about all of these matters. We fight so hard for people, all America, to be able to get the constitutional protections that were promised to them as an American citizen. And so the question, Linsey [is]: What will happen to the Constitution during these perilous times when, as it relates to all of us, especially the least of us?
ABC NEWS: All right, Ben Crump. So appreciate you, civil rights attorney, for your time and insight. Thank you.
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