Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Mar 20, 2026

The Justice Department Is Revisiting Its Sexual Harassment Policies

The Justice Department Is Revisiting Its Sexual Harassment Policies

Internal reports have documented numerous incidents of sexual misconduct involving senior-level officials.
The Justice Department is launching a new effort to review and potentially revise its sexual harassment policies, according to a memo that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco sent to all employees on Friday.

Monaco’s memo doesn’t specify what policies might be changed or what prompted the latest review, but the DOJ inspector general’s office for years has investigated and confirmed complaints of sexual harassment and misconduct across the department, and recent news reports have detailed and confirmed these and other allegations. BuzzFeed News has previously reported on a slew of sexual harassment and misconduct complaints that were investigated and substantiated by the inspector general’s office, including a former federal prosecutor who harassed multiple women he came into contact with across various agencies; a former senior official accused of sexually assaulting a woman he worked with and harassing others; and a former US attorney (whose name DOJ unsuccessfully argued to keep secret after BuzzFeed News sued) accused of violating DOJ policies by having a relationship with a subordinate.

Monaco has tasked a steering committee to do a comprehensive review and report its recommendations to her within 180 days, according to a copy of the memo reviewed by BuzzFeed News.

“The Department of Justice is committed to providing a workplace free from sexual harassment and misconduct,” Monaco wrote. Citing an executive order that President Joe Biden signed in March highlighting the need to support “gender equity and equality” across the federal government, Monaco wrote, “It is therefore critical to our duty as principled defenders of the law to combat sexual harassment and misconduct in our own workplace and hold offenders accountable for their actions.”

The department’s Gender Equality Network, or DOJ GEN, has long pushed the department to strengthen its policies around preventing sexual harassment and tracking and responding to complaints. The group sent a letter to Monaco in February following the publication of an investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle into sexual harassment within the immigration court system, which is an arm of DOJ; the Chronicle first reported Monaco’s memo.

In an email to DOJ GEN members on Friday obtained by BuzzFeed News, the group’s president, Stacey Young, wrote that she would be serving on the new steering committee and was “thrilled that everyone now knows that the Justice Department is finally taking its systemic sexual harassment problem seriously.” Young declined a request for comment.

In 2017, the DOJ inspector general’s office released a report identifying “significant weaknesses” with how officials had responded to sexual harassment and misconduct allegations in the Civil Division. The report described situations where male employees accused of groping, stalking, or otherwise harassing women in the workplace received minimal punishments.

In response to that 2017 report, then–deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein established a working group to review the department’s sexual harassment policies and issued new guidance in 2018. But as the New York Times reported at the time, those directives largely left it up to the individual divisions within the department to decide how to carry out anti–sexual harassment efforts, and critics worried that would continue to lead to uneven enforcement.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Reports Drone Strike on Key Red Sea Refinery in Yanbu
United States Urges Citizens to Leave Saudi Arabia Amid Escalating Regional Conflict
Former Media Executive Chronicles Rise of Saudi Crown Prince in New Book
Saudi Aramco–Exxon Refinery in Yanbu Targeted in Latest Wave of Iranian Attacks
Greek-Operated Patriot System Intercepts Iranian Missiles Over Saudi Arabia
Asian Refiners Urge Saudi Arabia to Revise Oil Pricing as War Upends Markets
Arab and Muslim Ministers Convene in Riyadh to Coordinate Response to Iran Crisis
Saudi Arabia Expands Global Partnerships to Accelerate Vision 2030 Transformation
Europe and Japan Signal Readiness to Help Secure Strait of Hormuz Amid Escalating Crisis
Saudi Arabia Signals Firm Stance as Iranian-Linked Attacks Intensify
U.S. Lawmakers Press Rubio to Enforce Strong Safeguards in Saudi Nuclear Deal
Iran Issues Evacuation Warning to Gulf States After Strike on Major Gas Field
Saudi Arabia to Convene Arab and Islamic Ministers for Urgent Talks on Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Confirms Eid al-Fitr as Moon Sighting Determines End of Ramadan
Saudi Arabia Boosts Crude Exports to Highest Levels Since 2023, Data Shows
Iran Issues Warning to Gulf Energy Infrastructure Following Strike on Major Gas Field
Saudi Arabia Restarts Ras Tanura Refinery Following Drone Strike, Reinforcing Energy Resilience
Saudi Arabia Restarts Ras Tanura Refinery Following Drone Strike, Reinforcing Energy Resilience
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Ballistic Missiles Targeting Riyadh Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia Restores Significant Oil Flows Using Hormuz Bypass Amid Regional Tensions
Saudi Arabia Signals Potential Activation of Defence Pact with Pakistan Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Saudi Supreme Court Urges Muslims to Observe Crescent Moon for Eid Determination
Saudi Supreme Court Urges Muslims to Observe Crescent Moon for Eid Determination
Saudi Arabia Reassesses Iran Strategy as Regional Conflict Tests MBS’s Diplomatic Bet
Iran Steps Up Drone Strikes on Saudi Oil Sites, Heightening Risks to Global Supply
Regional Fallout Grows as Iran Conflict Sends Shockwaves Across Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Seven Drones in Intensifying Regional Security Threat
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Seven Drones in Intensifying Regional Security Threat
Saudi Arabia Weighs Regional Risks as Iran Conflict Deepens and Security Calculations Shift
Gulf States Confront Limits of U.S. Protection as Regional War Intensifies
Gulf Producers Rush to Reroute Oil Exports as Iran Tightens Control of Hormuz Strait
Saudi Gaming Investment Arm Acquires Strategic Stake in Capcom to Expand Global Influence
Iran Intensifies Strikes on Saudi Oil Infrastructure as Regional War Escalates
Saudi Arabia Targets South African Professionals in New Recruitment Drive Amid Regional Uncertainty
Formula One Faces Major Financial Hit as Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Cancelled Amid Middle East Conflict
U.S. and Saudi Firms Launch Local Production of Attritable Drone Systems in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia and UAE Warn Rising Gulf Tensions Could Endanger Regional Security
Saudi Arabia Rejects Claims It Encouraged Prolonged War With Iran
Saudi Arabia to Host World’s Largest Single-Cell Protein Plant as Food Security Push Accelerates
Saudi Crown Prince Urges Trump to Continue Military Pressure on Iran
Iran Intensifies Drone Campaign Against Saudi Arabia as Gulf Conflict Escalates
When Is Eid al-Fitr 2026? Saudi Arabia Awaits Moon Sighting to Confirm End of Ramadan
When Is Eid al-Fitr 2026? Saudi Arabia Awaits Moon Sighting to Confirm End of Ramadan
Iranian Missile Strike Damages Five U.S. Refueling Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Iranian Missile Strike Damages Five U.S. Refueling Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Washington State Pilot Among Six U.S. Airmen Killed in Military Aircraft Crash Over Iraq
Severe Storm Threat Looms Over Washington as Tornado Risk and Damaging Winds Target Mid-Atlantic
Trump Supports FCC Warning to Broadcasters Over Iran War Reporting
Trump Supports FCC Warning to Broadcasters Over Iran War Reporting
Saudi Stocks Edge Lower as Tadawul All Share Index Slips Slightly at Market Close
×