The Trump administration has issued a memo putting a stop to agreements that require reforms of police departments where a pattern of misconduct was found by the Justice Department. The memo, issued by acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle, states that the new administration may wish to reconsider settlements and consent decrees negotiated and approved by the prior administration.
Mizelle ordered the Justice Department's civil rights division to not execute or finalize any settlements or consent decrees approved prior to January 20, 2025. This move has the potential to disrupt police reform efforts in Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, where agreements were announced in the closing weeks of the Biden administration.
The memo also instructed civil rights attorneys not to file any new complaints or motions until further notice. President Trump and Republican allies have criticized court-ordered consent decrees as a means of enforcing police reform efforts.
The Louisville decree, reached in mid-December, followed an investigation into the city's police department after the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020. Proposed reforms included requirements for de-escalation techniques and fair investigation of officer misconduct.
The Minneapolis agreement, reached earlier this month, focused on preventing excessive force, ending racially discriminatory policing, and improving officers' interactions with the public.
During Trump's first term, the Justice Department attempted to upend an Obama-era consent decree for Baltimore's police department, but the effort failed as a federal judge ruled in favor of executing the agreement.
