Statement by Wade Henderson on the New Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
Washington, DC — Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement in response to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s creation of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights and the appointment of its first Chairman, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL):
“The Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision to establish a new Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights demonstrates a renewed commitment to ensure the civil and human rights of every person in the United States. Committee Chairman Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Member Grassley (R-IA) deserve great credit for this important step. We especially applaud the appointment of Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is the ideal choice to be this subcommittee’s first Chair.
Senator Durbin has consistently been a thoughtful voice on constitutional issues and an unwavering champion of civil and human rights. As chair of the previous Human Rights and Law Subcommittee, he convened hearings that brought long-overdue attention to a number of pressing human rights issues in the United States, including racial disparities in criminal justice policies, the plight of the undocumented, the indefensible policy of high-achieving students facing deportation from the only country they have ever known, and the need to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights looks forward to working with the subcommittee, Senator Durbin and Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC), the subcommittee’s ranking member, during the 112th Congress.”
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Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.