OKLAHOMA CITY – The U.S. Justice Department’s to-do list was already daunting, especially with this year's flood of pandemic-delayed federal cases.
And now two very different legal concerns — insurrection cases in Washington and tribal land disputes out West — are threatening to totally swamp the department.
Together, the unprecedented investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and court decisions giving the federal government sudden jurisdiction over crimes on more Native American lands have put enormous pressure on the Justice Department, creating an immediate challenge for new Attorney General Merrick Garland.