Merrick Garland puts domestic terror and civil rights at top of justice agenda

Analysis: Biden's attorney general has made a clean break with Bill Barr, making domestic terrorism his top priority' winning won praise for his moves on civil and voting rights

The new attorney general, Merrick Garland, has signaled an ambitious agenda to fight domestic terrorism in America including white supremacists and hate crimes, while bolstering civil rights and voting rights, critical areas that got short shrift from the Trump administration, say ex-federal prosecutors and members of Congress.

The shift at the Department of Justice represents one of the most stark turnarounds under Joe Biden from the Trump era. Under the previous attorney general, Bill Barr, the justice department was often seen as at Trump's beck and call, the former president accused of treating it as virtually his own legal service.