Civil and Human Rights Coalition Urges Senate to Reject OCR Nominee Kenneth Marcus

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement following the Senate HELP Committee’s party-line approval of Kenneth L. Marcus’ nomination to be the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education:

“Mr. Marcus’ own record of anti-civil rights positions and his failure to articulate clear support for robust civil rights enforcement during his confirmation hearing are all the more troubling given the anti-civil rights actions of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and President Trump. Students and families deserve an Assistant Secretary who will represent their interests, enforce the law, and stand up to the Trump-DeVos discriminatory agenda. The Senate must reject Kenneth Marcus.”

Earlier this month, The Leadership Conference and 31 civil rights groups wrote a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) urging members to oppose the confirmation of Kenneth Marcus. That letter is available here.

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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.