Senate confirms Merrick Garland as U.S. attorney general

The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Merrick Garland as attorney general, placing the longtime federal appeals court judge and onetime Supreme Court pick at the helm of an agency central to President Joe Biden's domestic policy agenda.

The vote was 70-30. Garland takes over as the head of the Department of Justice as the sprawling agency continues to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, one of the largest probes in its history. Garland has called the inquiry his No. 1 priority.

The Justice Department will also be crucial in enacting Biden's sweeping plans for civil rights enforcement and criminal justice reform. The department is likely to make important decisions in the coming years concerning regulation of the nation's largest technology companies, which some lawmakers are pushing to break up.