Trump DOJ Ends Biden-Era Police Reform Oversight

The U.S. Department of Justice, under the Trump administration, has announced plans to dismiss lawsuits and withdraw from federal consent decrees with the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments, reversing reforms negotiated by the Biden administration after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The DOJ is also terminating investigations and retracting findings of constitutional violations in other jurisdictions, including Phoenix, Memphis, Oklahoma City, and Louisiana. These consent decrees were designed to address systemic issues in policing, such as racial discrimination and excessive force, with significant federal oversight. Trump officials argue the reforms relied on flawed legal theories and data and constituted a 'failed experiment' in federal micromanagement. Local leaders, particularly in Minneapolis, intend to pursue police reform independently despite the federal withdrawal. The policy shift occurs just before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death, an event that sparked nationwide protests against police brutality.