The Consent Decree Graveyard: When the Government Wins and Nothing Changes

The Justice Department sues a major institution, wins, and extracts a legally binding agreement to reform it. Then, quietly, almost nothing in that agreement gets enforced — and the institution knows it won't. This episode walks through the specific mechanics of how consent decrees become performance art: who negotiates the exit ramps, how compliance timelines get buried in paperwork, and why the press release announcing the settlement is often the last time anyone pays attention. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.