Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Debo Adegbile’s Testimony in Senate Hearing
WASHINGTON—Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the statement below following a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the nomination of Debo Adegbile to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Department of Justice. The Leadership Conference is one of 76 civil and human rights organizations strongly endorsing the Adegbile nomination:
“Those who have worked with or observed the work of Debo Adegbile know him to be a thoughtful, reasoned, and caring consensus builder; today’s hearing reinforced that fact for the entire nation.
Debo Adegbile is one of the preeminent civil rights litigators of his generation and a bipartisan consensus builder. His experience defending the Voting Rights Act in the Supreme Court twice puts him in a class of his own when it comes to understanding the application and enforcement of complex civil rights issues. Add that to his stellar career and bipartisan endorsements from corporate attorneys, former government officials like Paul Clement, civil rights groups, and state attorneys general, and it becomes even clearer that Adegbile is eminently qualified to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
Adegbile’s life mirrors that of the American Dream. A son of immigrants, Adegbile grew up in poverty — even living at the notorious Martinique Welfare Hotel — and worked his way through law school to defend American democracy in the Supreme Court.
Debo Adegbile is the right nominee to head the Civil Rights Division. We strongly reiterate our call for the Senate to swiftly confirm him.”
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is 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.
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