Amidst the tidal wave of executive orders, presidential appointments and policy announcements, it is easy to treat the interim policy memo from the acting deputy attorney general as just another ripple of nominal change that occurs when Democrats replace Republicans or Republicans replace Democrats. But it would be a serious oversight to miss the memo’s dramatic departure from status quo and even from the first Trump administration’s view of federal prosecutor responsibilities. With every party turnover at the White House, a philosophical tug-of-war resumes over whether federal prosecutors should be tough on crime or more "nuanced" in their approach to punishment.
