Merrick Garland: The Mr. Magoo of American Justice

By Michael Kelman Portney

Rarely in the history of American governance has a figure so profoundly misunderstood the urgency of their role as Merrick Garland, our very own Mr. Magoo of justice. Like the bumbling cartoon character who stumbles blindly through disaster after disaster, Garland’s tenure as Attorney General has been defined by a near-comical inability to act decisively in the face of existential threats to democracy. The difference, of course, is that Mr. Magoo’s antics are fictional and harmless, while Garland’s dithering has real-world consequences that have shaken the very foundations of American democracy.

Justice Blindfolded and Tripping Over Its Feet

When Garland was appointed Attorney General, many believed he would be a steady hand capable of restoring faith in the Department of Justice after years of politicization under Donald Trump. What we got instead was a figure so cautious, so paralyzed by fear of appearing partisan, that he has effectively rendered the DOJ inert.

Imagine Mr. Magoo navigating a minefield, oblivious to the explosions around him, insisting everything is fine because he’s following the “rules of the road.” That’s Garland’s approach to justice: a hapless shuffle through the debris of Trump’s chaos, assuring the public that justice takes time while the clock runs out.

Take the January 6 investigation. Here was a once-in-a-century moment to demonstrate that no one—not even a former president—is above the law. Instead of acting swiftly, Garland meandered, waiting nearly two years to appoint special counsel Jack Smith. By then, Trump’s strategy of delay had succeeded in pushing the case beyond the 2024 election, securing his return to power and leaving Garland looking like the DOJ’s most reluctant tourist.

The Trump Case: A Masterclass in Ineffectiveness

It’s not just that Garland was slow—it’s that his delays actively enabled Trump’s rise. Like Mr. Magoo fumbling with a pair of glasses, Garland misjudged the stakes entirely. Faced with mountains of evidence of Trump’s criminal attempts to overturn the 2020 election, Garland opted to wait, endlessly reviewing, considering, and re-reviewing before finally acting too late to make any meaningful difference.

His defenders argue that Garland was trying to avoid the appearance of politicization. But in his desperate attempt to appear impartial, Garland inadvertently handed Trump the narrative he needed: that the DOJ was weak, ineffectual, and unwilling to stand up to him. If Garland’s goal was to protect the integrity of the DOJ, he failed spectacularly.

The Consequences of Magooism

The result of Garland’s fecklessness is a political landscape where accountability for the powerful feels more like a distant dream than a reality. His inability to act decisively has emboldened Trump and his allies, who now know that the system can be gamed with delay tactics and endless legal maneuvering. Garland didn’t just fail to hold Trump accountable—he normalized the idea that justice can wait indefinitely for the rich and powerful.

But it’s not just Trump. Garland’s DOJ has dragged its feet on numerous other critical issues, from combating domestic extremism to protecting voting rights. His tenure has been a symphony of inaction, a masterpiece of missed opportunities. Every time Garland had a chance to take bold, decisive action, he instead chose to squint at the problem, mumble something about “process,” and shuffle off to ponder the issue for a few more months.

A Legacy of Cluelessness

Garland’s defenders often point to his reputation as a cautious and thoughtful jurist, but caution without courage is useless. In times of crisis, what we needed was a fighter—a leader willing to take risks and stand up for the principles of justice. Instead, we got a bureaucratic Mr. Magoo, whose bumbling indecision has left the country worse off than when he arrived.

History will not be kind to Merrick Garland. He will not be remembered as a champion of democracy or a defender of the rule of law. He will be remembered as the man who stumbled blindly through one of the most critical periods in American history, leaving a trail of missed opportunities and unfulfilled promises in his wake.

Lessons from Magoo’s DOJ

If there is any silver lining to Garland’s catastrophic tenure, it is the lesson he provides for future leaders: Inaction in the face of injustice is not neutrality—it is complicity. A cautious approach is no excuse for failing to do the job you were entrusted to perform.

Merrick Garland’s time as Attorney General will be remembered not for what he accomplished, but for what he failed to do. Like Mr. Magoo, he may never fully grasp the magnitude of the damage left in his wake. The rest of us, however, are left to deal with the consequences of his cluelessness.