DOJ Drops Biden-Era Lawsuits Against Minneapolis, Louisville Police, Slams Costly Consent Decrees

The Justice Department has announced a bold move to dismiss lawsuits against the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments, initiated during the Biden administration, labeling them as overly broad and legally flawed. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, in a press call, described these actions as a necessary correction to investigations that leaned on shaky legal grounds and incomplete data. The lawsuits accused both cities’ police of systemic unconstitutional practices, a claim the current DOJ disputes, arguing it wrongly equated statistical disparities with intentional discrimination.

This decision comes just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, a tragedy that sparked nationwide protests and calls for police reform. Similarly, Louisville’s investigation stemmed from the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor. Both cases led to proposed consent decrees—federal oversight mechanisms historically used in cities like Los Angeles and Ferguson to address police misconduct. Yet, the DOJ now argues these decrees, often costing taxpayers over $100 million per department, fail to deliver meaningful change.

The DOJ is also reviewing other consent decrees and closing investigations into police departments in Phoenix, Trenton, Memphis, Mount Vernon, Oklahoma City, and Louisiana’s state police. Dhillon criticized these as burdensome, diverting local control to unaccountable federal monitors while racking up massive compliance costs—sometimes $10 million annually for a single large department.

The bigger picture? This move signals a shift in federal oversight of local law enforcement, prioritizing local control and questioning the efficacy of long-standing, costly interventions. It’s a contentious pivot, likely to stir debate as communities grapple with balancing reform and autonomy.