Civil Rights Coalition Opposes Griffith

In a letter to Senators Specter and Leahy, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation’s oldest, largest and most diverse civil and human rights coalition, announced its continued opposition to the confirmation of Thomas Griffith to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

“Thomas Griffith is a threat to the civil rights of all Americans,” said LCCR Executive Director Wade Henderson. “He is not only opposed to Title IX, one of our country’s most important anti-discrimination laws, but he has actively tried to dismantle it. There is no place in our country’s second highest court for someone who has no regard for equal opportunity.”

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans sex discrimination by federally funded educational institutions, including discrimination within their athletic programs. “Title IX has quite literally evened the playing field for women,” added Henderson. “It has increased opportunities for women and girls to compete for academic scholarships and participate in organized athletics.”

As a member of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, established by Secretary of Education Rod Paige in 2002 to assess whether current standards governing Title IX’s application should be revised, Griffith made a series of recommendations that would have shredded provisions requiring academic institutions to offer women an equal opportunity to participate in school athletics.

“Griffith’s views on educational equity for women and girls and the broader implication of those views for federal civil rights laws make him a singularly bad choice for a lifetime appointment to our country’s second highest court,” said LCCR Deputy Director Nancy Zirkin.

“What is more, Griffith has been and continues to be cavalier about the ethical rules that govern the practice of law. He has been suspended not once, but twice, by the D.C. Bar and still practices law in Utah without a law license,” added Zirkin. “How can we expect Griffith to enforce the law when he can’t be bothered to follow it?”