By Kenneth White

Edited for the first time in decades, the US Attorneys’ Manual (a guide to the Justice Department policies) has had a number of sections that deal with freedom of the press and civil rights altered or deleted. Portions regarding the public’s right to knowledge, the free press and references to public trial have been severely modified. Additions to the manual include a section asking for employees to report concerns to superiors and requiring that new attorneys disclose all contacts with reporters, news agencies and media outlets.

Also changed were references to racial gerrymandering, the prevention of which was a key policy plank for the Obama administration. Language has been introduced limiting the leaks within a department along with prosecuting federal criminals to the extent of the law, in place of wording that directed attorney’s to consider each case individually.