The hearing for the confirmation of Biden's pick for attorney general is adjourned until Tuesday morning.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in his first line of questioning as a member of the Judiciary Committee, asked Garland how he could use his power as attorney general to make equal justice for all Americans a possibility.

Garland said he was "deeply aware" of the moment the country is in with regards to racial justice and that it was a substantial part of why he wants to be attorney general. He cited over-incarceration of Black Americans and other minorities, reducing the emphasis on prosecuting lower-level crimes like marijuana possession and the need for greater discretion to prosecutors in terms of not pursuing the harshest sentences for crimes that aren't of a violent nature.

Ossoff also said that Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery and asked Garland how he planned to use the DOJ's authority to ensure that local agencies are held to account.

"What I will say is that like many, many Americans I was shocked by what I saw in videos of Black Americans being killed over this last summer. That, I do think, created a moment in the national life that brought attention from people who had not seen what Black Americans and other members of communities of color had known for decades, but it did bring everything to the fore and created a moment," Garland said. "We have an opportunity to make dramatic changes and really bring forth equal justice under the law which is our commitment of the Justice Department for the Civil Rights Division is the place where we focus these -- these operations."

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pushed Garland on his view of the death penalty, noting that convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, whom Garland helped prosecute, was put to death in the early 2000s. Garland said he didn’t regret that but said his thoughts on the death penalty have evolved.

He says Biden has the ability to put a moratorium on the death penalty and ultimately his stance on it will follow the president's.

Multiple senators addressed racial equality and disparities in the justice system as well as the prosecution of hate crimes. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., asked Garland if he felt there were two systems of justice in the United States and Garland said he did. Garland vowed to have the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division aggressively prosecute hate crimes.

"Hate crimes tear at the fabric of our society make our citizens worried about walking on the street and exercising even their most normal rights and the role of the Civil Rights Division is to prosecute those cases, vigorously and I can assure you that it will if I'm confirmed," Garland said.

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., asked Garland if he had insight into any shortfalls of the investigation into former financier Jeffrey Epstein who died by suicide in federal custody in New York in August 2019.

"He obviously should have been vigorously prosecuted substantially earlier but I don't know the why," he said.

When asked by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., about defunding the police, he said he doesn’t believe in it.

"We saw how difficult the lives of police officers were in the body cam videos we saw when they were defending the Capitol," Garland said. "I do believe and President Biden believes in giving resources to police departments to help them reform and gain the trust of their communities,."

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., took to the House floor on Tuesday to speak in favor of his bill to name a Tupelo post office after U.S. Air Force Col. Carlyle “Smitty” Harris, a Vietnam prisoner of war who was held in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton."

The uncontroversial measure was slated to pass under the suspension of the House rules -- with debate expedited because it had the support of two-thirds of the chamber.

But in a surprise move, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., blocked the measure, and instead forced the House to take a recorded vote on the bill Tuesday evening.

The reason? Kelly voted to overturn the election results on Jan. 6.

"As Representatives working every day on behalf of the American people, Rep. Casten believes that working with members regardless of political party is at the core of good public policy," Casten's chief of staff Cara Pavlock said in an email obtained by ABC News. "As a general matter, he does not suggest this action against members with whom we merely disagree, but that willingness to collaborate can only extend so far and to those that also hold the core value of upholding democracy."

"The vote to overturn the election results in the midst of a violent insurrection was a bridge too far," Pavlock wrote, adding that Casten also planned to vote against the post office renaming for that reason.

The bill did pass on a vote of 406-15.

The minor procedural dustup is one of many reminders of how Congress is still grappling with the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and that lawmakers are still coming to terms with how to approach colleagues who supported and amplified former President Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 election.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel