Civil rights
DOJ to expand Civil Rights Division: Holder
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to expand its Civil Rights Division and more actively enforce anti-discrimination laws, Attorney General Eric Holder told the New York Times in an interview published Monday. The increased focus on civil rights marks a change in focus from the previous administration, which, according to the New York Times, shifted resources from preventing racial discrimination to protecting religious rights.
Among the new measures described by Holder are President Barrack Obama's plan to add more than 50 lawyers to the Civil Rights Division and increased enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in areas in which minorities are often adversely affected, including housing and employment.
Holder has implemented a number of changes to the DOJ in regards to civil rights since being confirmed in February. In June, Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee that hate crime legislation is one of the DOJ's top priorities. Also in June, the DOJ rejected as discriminatory a Georgia law requiring voters to have identification. At his swearing in ceremony, Holder pledged to restore the traditions of fairness and neutrality to the department. In January, a report released by the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility [official websites] found that under the Bush administration, DOJ applicants faced discrimination in the hiring process if they did not have conservative views.
(Published by Jurist - September 1, 2009)