Justice Department Ends Police Reform Lawsuits Minneapolis, Louisville, Nationwide

The Department of Justice under the Trump administration has moved to dismiss Biden-era lawsuits and investigations into police departments in Minneapolis, Louisville, and six other cities, including Memphis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Trenton, and Mount Vernon. These investigations originally uncovered patterns of racial discrimination, excessive force, and civil rights violations following the high-profile killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, resulting in proposed consent decrees for police reform. The Trump DOJ argues that these consent decrees represented overreach, imposing costly federal oversight and micromanagement without sufficient legal or factual basis. Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, stated the move ends what she called the Biden administration's 'failed experiment' of imposing such consent decrees, emphasizing a return of local control over policing. Although the DOJ claims it will still act against civil rights violations when necessary, this shift marks a significant retreat from federal intervention aimed at police accountability. The decisions have sparked concern given the ongoing national dialogue about police reform and racial justice.