Civil Rights Enforcement Agencies
Civil rights laws, once enacted by Congress, are meaningful only if they are duly enforced by the executive branch.
Various federal departments, agencies, and commissions are charged with investigating civil rights violations, redressing instances of discrimination, and providing guidance to individuals and businesses about their rights and responsibilities under the law. It's important that the individuals selected to lead these departments and agencies -- nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate -- are committed to fair and impartial enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws.
African-American Farmers Settle Discrimination Suit with USDA
February 26, 2010 - Posted by Jeffrey White
African-American farmers who experienced discrimination by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) may finally receive compensation.
Read more >>
Link to this post
Department of Justice Creates Fair Lending Unit to Fight Discrimination
January 20, 2010 - Posted by Alexander Davis
Responding to the severe housing and credit crisis in the United States, Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez recently announced the creation of a fair lending unit within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Perez, who leads the division, identified "lending discrimination" as particularly destructive, stating that "it's discrimination with a smile, and it tears communities apart."
Read more >>
Link to this post
Tom Perez: Civil Rights Division Has New 'Agenda of Restoration and Revitalization'
December 4, 2009 - Posted by Cassandra Stabbert
Yesterday, the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held its first oversight hearing of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice since President Obama took office in January to look at how the new administration is planning to reform the division.
The hearing coincided with the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that examines the division's civil rights enforcement record under the Bush administration. The GAO report provides further evidence that the division under the Bush administration was politicized, and as a result, enforcement suffered, particularly in the areas of voting rights, housing, and employment.
The Civil Rights Division has widely been considered the premier civil rights enforcement agency, as it handled most federal anti-discrimination litigation. However, in recent years, the division has been plagued by controversy over political interference in its hiring policies. The Leadership Conference and other civil rights groups that monitor the division have expressed concern about its inadequate enforcement of civil rights laws as well.
Read more >>
Link to this post
Rights Groups Urge Congress to Fix Broken Civil Rights Commission
November 19, 2009 - Posted by Lara Awad
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has become harmfully politicized and has strayed from its mission to protect the civil rights of Americans. That was the message that the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the ACLU, and a coalition other civil and human rights groups presented at a November 18 congressional briefing.
The groups called for reforms that would broaden the commission's mandate so that it can better investigate and address civil rights issues and work to strengthen U.S. commitments on human rights. In particular, they are seeking a change in the way that members are appointed to the commission to ensure that commissioners remain independent. Currently, members are appointed by Congress and the president and are not required to undergo a confirmation process.
The commission was created with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 as an independent fact-finding body charged with investigating and reporting on civil rights and making recommendations to the federal government on how to fix the problems it uncovered. Through its fact-finding work, it helped lay the foundation for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Over the past few years, however, the commission has taken positions hostile to civil rights issues, such as opposing the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006.
Link to this post
Civil Rights Groups Urge Sen. Reid Hold Vote on Dawn Johnsen
November 4, 2009 - Posted by Cassandra Stabbert
Nearly 40 national civil rights organizations recently sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D. Nev., stating their concern over the obstructionist tactics used to stall Dawn Johnsen's nomination and urged him to bring the nomination to a vote quickly.
President Obama nominated Dawn Johnsen to head the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) in February. Her nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 19 and has been pending ever since.
The OLC is a critical agency that advises the executive branch on the constitutionality of proposed policies, legislation, and executive orders. Johnsen is well qualified for this position, having served in the OLC as a deputy assistant attorney general from 1993 to 1996 and as the acting assistant attorney general from 1997 to 1998. She is currently a professor of constitutional law at the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University.
"Professor Johnsen has the experience, the integrity, and the intellect to head this critical office. She should be confirmed without further delay…We urge you to use the full force of your office to bring this nomination to a vote at the earliest possible date," the letter states.
Read the letter (PDF)
Link to this post
Senate Confirms Tom Perez to Head the Civil Rights Division
October 6, 2009 - Posted by Tyler Lewis
 LCCR President and CEO Wade Henderson chats with Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez at LCCR's 33rd Annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner in May. Perez has spent the bulk of his career in public service, having worked for 12 years in the division and serving as a deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights under Attorney General Janet Reno. He has served as the Maryland Secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation since January 2007.
The Civil Rights Division was widely considered the premier civil rights enforcement agency, as it handled most federal anti-discrimination litigation. However, in recent years the division has been plagued with controversy over political interference in its hiring policies and its inadequate enforcement of civil rights laws, diminishing its impact as a federal enforcement agency.
As the new assistant attorney general for civil rights, Perez will take on the task of rebuilding the morale within division and renewing its commitment to working to enforce the civil rights of all Americans.
"We in the civil rights community have the utmost confidence in his ability and commitment to this mission, and we look forward to a revitalization of the Civil Rights Division that works to ensure that all Americans are protected under the law," Henderson said.
Link to this post
Civil Rights Groups: Senate Must Confirm Pending Judicial and Executive Nominees
September 22, 2009 - Posted by Tyler Lewis
A broad coalition of civil rights groups, including the Alliance for Justice, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and People For the American Way, is urging senators to eliminate the confirmation backlog of judicial and executive branch nominees.
A letter sent today to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R. Ky., states: "The obstruction of many of President Obama's nominees through filibuster threats and anonymous 'holds' is hindering the important work of our judicial and executive branches of government and threatening any prospect of bipartisan cooperation on many pressing national issues important to all Americans." Forty-five groups signed the letter.
Since taking office in January, President Obama has nominated 18 people to serve as judges on the federal courts. Only one has been confirmed by the Senate. In addition, the nominations of Tom Perez to head the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and Dawn Johnsen to head the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel are still pending. Johnsen's nomination has been pending since the Senate Judiciary Committee approved it in March.
Given that the nation is facing major challenges like an economic recession, the groups argue that blocking these important nominations "will poison the political atmosphere, needlessly heighten partisan tensions, and make it far more difficult for the federal government to serve the public interest in any respect."
Link to this post
New York Times Urges the Justice Department to Revive Its Civil Rights Enforcement
September 2, 2009 - Posted by Tyler Lewis
In its lead editorial today, The New York Times discusses the importance of reviving enforcement of civil rights laws in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, saying that "restoring the nation's commitment to fairness in voting, employment, housing and other areas is one of the new administration's most important challenges."
Among the work to be done, the Times says the Obama administration should step up enforcement efforts that protect the rights of voters so that their names aren't illegally purged from the voting roles; should step up enforcement of employment discrimination; and should "challenge the dangerously crowded and inhumane conditions" in the nation's prisons; and should make sure that programs and institutions receiving federal funds – including federal stimulus money – do not discriminate.
The Times also urges the Senate to quickly confirm Thomas Perez this month to lead the Civil Rights Division, saying that objections to his confirmation are "spurious."
Link to this post
|
|
|
|
