In 2012 the United States Department of Justice opened an investigation into alleged mishandling of rape and sexual assault cases by Van Valkenberg's Missoula County Attorney's Office.
[6] According to the DOJ, the County Attorney's Office rarely explained why they failed to prosecute offenders even when police investigators had found strong evidence of guilt.
[8][9] In February 2014 the DOJ released a report stating that investigators had found "substantial evidence of gender bias" in the Missoula County Attorney's Office which amounted to a violation of federal law, including the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
[10] Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division stated: "We uncovered evidence of a disturbing pattern of deficiencies in the handling of these cases by the County Attorney’s Office, a pattern that not only denies victims meaningful access to justice, but places the safety of all women in Missoula at risk.
We hope that this letter will enable us to move forward with constructive discussions with the County Attorney to resolve these serious concerns.