Vote Yes to Confirm Critical Nominations to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Media 12.1.14

Recipient: U.S. Senate

View the PDF of this letter here.

Dear Senator:

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of over 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States, we ask you to support the confirmation of two critical nominations to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), David Patrick Lopez as General Counsel and Charlotte Burrows as Commissioner. Failure to confirm these two nominees could cripple the important work of the EEOC and deprive the EEOC of the leadership it needs to do its vital job of protecting individuals from employment discrimination. These nominees are vital to the civil rights community and we urge you to vote in favor of their confirmation.

The EEOC is the leading federal law enforcement agency dedicated to eliminating employment discrimination. It is vested by Congress to enforce a broad set of employment and civil rights laws and to remedy unlawful employment discrimination. The work of the EEOC, led by its Commissioners and its General Counsel, has had an enormous impact on equality of employment opportunity in the workplace. Over the past 50 years, the EEOC has been crucial in ensuring equal opportunity in our nation’s workplaces. Burrows and Lopez must be confirmed in order not to delay the critical work of the EEOC.

David Lopez’s outstanding career in public service makes him exceptionally well qualified for reappointment as General Counsel to the EEOC. First sworn in as General Counsel in 2010, he has managed an extremely successful trial program; in fiscal year 2013, the EEOC won 9 out of 10 of its trials, including significant verdicts involving race discrimination. Mr. Lopez is the first EEOC field trial attorney to be appointed as the agency’s General Counsel and has served at the Commission in various capacities for the past 20 years. We look forward to Mr. Lopez’s swift reappointment as General Counsel to the EEOC so that he may continue to oversee important litigation work.

Similarly, Charlotte Burrows, nominee for EEOC Commissioner, possesses a stellar background and a wealth of experience that make her extraordinarily well-suited to be an EEOC Commissioner. Since 2009, she served as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Ms. Burrows previously served as General Counsel for Civil and Constitutional Rights to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Legal Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms. Burrows worked in the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section at DOJ as a Trial Attorney, as Special Litigation Counsel, and as Deputy Chief. The EEOC Commissioners must uphold the law, advance opportunities for employment, and assure employment-related benefits and rights. Ms. Burrows has demonstrated that she is well prepared to perform these duties.

We believe it is imperative that the nominations to the EEOC be confirmed without delay. Without swift confirmation, the EEOC may be hindered as it works to protect American workers from employment discrimination. Workers need a fully functioning EEOC to enforce important laws aimed at protecting employees’ and prospective employees’ rights. The Senate has the opportunity to approve the nominations and ensure the EEOC will be able to operate, protecting the vital rights of employees to collectively improve their job standards.

We strongly urge a vote in favor of these important nominations. Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nancy Zirkin at [email protected] or 202-466-3311 or Lexer Quamie, Senior Counsel at [email protected] or 202-466-3648.

Sincerely,

Wade Henderson
President & CEO

Nancy Zirkin
Executive Vice President