Louisville Courier Journal: Monitoring Civil Rights.
Monitoring civil rights
One of the great injustices of the Bush administration was the deliberate weakening of the federal division that enforces civil rights laws. Fulfilling its campaign promise of “change we can believe in,” President Obama is taking bold steps to strengthen the Justice Department's civil rights division, and to expand its efforts to protect minorities from discrimination.
The division, which was created 52 years ago to monitor and challenge violations of civil rights laws, suffered not only funding cuts but also mission redefinition in the Bush years.
As that happened, some long-term lawyers, among the most experienced in the field, got frustrated. And 236 of the 350 attorneys in the division resigned between 2001 and 2007. Many of them were replaced with inexperienced attorneys from lower-ranked law schools who had no particular expertise in civil rights. Unfortunately, some of these attorneys are now protected by civil service laws.
Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. says that an increase of $22 million in funding for the division will allow hiring of additional, well qualified attorneys. With them, the division will intensify its scrutiny of polices that have a disproportionate impact on minorities. These areas, according to The New York Times , range from housing to employment discrimination. Some are complaining that the changes are “political.” They sure are. And they are darned good politics — carrying out the will of the American voters.
One of the great injustices of the Bush administration was the deliberate weakening of the federal division that enforces civil rights laws. Fulfilling its campaign promise of “change we can believe in,” President Obama is taking bold steps to strengthen the Justice Department's civil rights division, and to expand its efforts to protect minorities from discrimination.
The division, which was created 52 years ago to monitor and challenge violations of civil rights laws, suffered not only funding cuts but also mission redefinition in the Bush years.
As that happened, some long-term lawyers, among the most experienced in the field, got frustrated. And 236 of the 350 attorneys in the division resigned between 2001 and 2007. Many of them were replaced with inexperienced attorneys from lower-ranked law schools who had no particular expertise in civil rights. Unfortunately, some of these attorneys are now protected by civil service laws.
Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. says that an increase of $22 million in funding for the division will allow hiring of additional, well qualified attorneys. With them, the division will intensify its scrutiny of polices that have a disproportionate impact on minorities. These areas, according to The New York Times , range from housing to employment discrimination. Some are complaining that the changes are “political.” They sure are. And they are darned good politics — carrying out the will of the American voters.
Labels: News reporting
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