(Name-mce) ListServ DOJ political appointees changing Civil Rights Division hiring, focus

[bill@billhowe.org]

Note: this is very scary!!!

 Sunday, July 23, 2006
 

DOJ political appointees changing Civil Rights Division hiring, focus 
Jeannie Shawl at 10:34 AM ET

  
[JURIST] Less than half of lawyers hired to work in the US Department of
Justice Civil Rights Division [official website] since 2003 have a
background in civil rights, according to resumes obtained by the Boston
Globe through a Freedom of Information Act request. In late 2002,
then-Attorney General John Ashcroft [official profile] changed hiring
procedures throughout the department, replacing traditional hiring
committees consisting of veteran career lawyers with panels made up of
political appointees. Subsequent to the change in hiring practices, the
number of new lawyers hired with a background in civil rights law has
dropped dramatically, and there has been a sharp increase in the number of
new lawyers with strong conservative credentials. There has also been a
shift in the types of cases the division is pursuing. The division, which
was established in 1957 [DOJ historical perspective, PDF] to pursue civil
rights claims against local and state governments and approve election law
changes in areas with a history of voter discrimination, has been filing an
increasing number of lawsuits in the past several years alleging reverse
discrimination against whites and religious discrimination against
Christians.

A DOJ spokesman defended the new hiring practices, saying the agency only
hires qualified lawyers, and other supporters say that the change was
necessary to bring balance to the traditionally liberal civil rights
division. Meanwhile, after the Washington Post controversially reported last
November that lawyers were leaving the Civil Rights division in record
numbers [JURIST report; DOJ response], staffers told the Globe that morale
continues to be low and that experienced attorneys are leaving the
department because of the shift in agenda. Sunday's Boston Globe


Bill Howe 
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