The Department of Justice's overhaul of the internal U.S. Attorney's manual has seemingly eliminated references to redistricting and racial gerrymandering.
The update, ordered by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, is its first since 1997, according to Buzzfeed.
The new version gets rid of provisions that previously protected "redistricting plans designed to provide minority voters fair opportunities to elect candidates of their choice and endeavors to achieve racially fair results" _ a key policy of the Obama administration.
In early March, the Supreme Court declined to rule on a Virginia case after Democratic lawyers claimed that the state's Republican leaders used unconstitutional racial gerrymandering when it redrew districts.
President Donald Trump's initial choice to lead the U.S. Census Bureau, Thomas Brunell, strongly advocated for redrawing congressional districts to aid Repulicans, including his 2008 book "Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections Are Bad for America." He withdrew from consideration in February.
The DOJ's changes, however, came before the Supreme Court heard arguments over Texas' electoral maps.
The new manual also seemed to take specific aim at leaking from the DOJ to the media, completely removing a subsection called "Need for Free Press and Public Trial," according to Buzzfeed.
The department also added language that states it's illegal to share classified information and requires employees to report "any contact with a member of the media about a DOJ matter," the outlet reported.
Trump specifically has lambasted the "fake news media" for leaks coming from within his own administration since taking office.
