Watch Live: Merrick Garland Confirmation Hearing

Merrick Garland is finally getting his Senate confirmation hearing – more than four years after Republican lawmakers blocked his nomination to the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Garland, President Biden’s nominee for Attorney General, is expected to face pointed questions over various issues, however comments by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) praising Garland suggests he’s going to be a shoo-in.

In his opening statement, Garland said that “battling extremist attacks on our democratic institutions” is “central” to the DOJ’s mission, and that if he is confirmed he’ll oversee the prosecution of those who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot (and presumably not those who participated in violent BLM riots last year).

Merrick Garland says in opening statement that “battling extremist attacks on our democratic institutions” is “central” to the Justice Department’s mission. If confirmed as attorney general he would oversee prosecution of the Capitol insurrections https://t.co/oUhkOohuwV pic.twitter.com/VeJcPoB5kJ

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 22, 2021

When asked early on in the hearings about ‘equal justice,’ Garland replied: “We do not yet have equal justice. Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, in education, in employment and in the criminal justice system. And they bear the brunt of the harm caused by a pandemic, pollution and climate change.”

Garland: “We do not yet have equal justice. Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, in education, in employment and in the criminal justice system. And they bear the brunt of the harm caused by a pandemic, pollution and climate change.” pic.twitter.com/w3bYBDXLRM

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 22, 2021

We would note that black incarceration rates dropped under President Trump, continuing a trend which began over a decade ago.

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