Kristen Clarke gets confirmed to lead U.S. Civil Rights division, making her the Assistant Attorney General; she is the first woman in the history of the division
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| Vice President Kamal Harris renders the oath of office to Kristen Clarke, the first African American woman to lead the Civil Rights Division with Attorney General Merrick Garland standing by and her mother holding the Bible. |
Republicans "came for" Kristen Clarke
Senate Republicans have attempted to place hurdles on Clarke's path to confirmation. As time lagged on, detractors dug up more controversies to hold up the process to cement her into the a top position, making unjustifiable claims about her record.
In one instance opposition researchers went several decades back to find a story to besmirch Kristen's character. A Harvard grad, Clarke was the president of the Black Student Association as an undergraduate student. She had written a paper that analyzed race superiority theories and invited an anti-Semetic author, Wellesley Professor Tony Martin to speak at an event at Harvard. Martin authored The Jewish Onslaught, and spoke out at the Harvard event about Jews having a long history of perpetuating the notion of God-supported African inferiority.
There were also complaints that she was in favor of defunding the police (which she denied), fueling the presumption that Clarke would be biased in her criminal justice related decisions. Endorsement from several law enforcement organizations refuted the notion that Clarke was anti-police.
At the confirmation hearing of Trump selectee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Clarke testified that Barrett's views were "far outside the mainstream" an opinion that Trumpians would view as a strike against her.
During her own confirmation hearing in April, Sen. Michael Lee of Utah brought up a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party that was dropped. He asked if she felt it was "wrong" for the DOJ to prosecute individuals "wielding a billy club" describing the Panthers as militants. This inquiry was an effort to link the prosecutor to a case that would show she could not be objective. Clarke said she had not done any advocacy work associated with the case answering that at the time she and many others believed it was a "weak case."
In that same setting, Senator from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse deduced that the real reason Republican leaders were shunning her is that based on her track record she would strongly defend election protection and given that the majority of Republicans denied former Pre. Donald Trump lost the 2020 election she could potentially use her power to enforce voting rights. He submitted a New York Times op-ed on the record that addressed her work in championing access to the ballot box.
In their concentrated fault-finding probe, Conservatives pegged her as too radical and not neutral enough to serve in a top federal post.
Clarke was an ideal candidate
The Civil Rights Division began in 1957 as a part of the Civil Rights Act. It's purpose is to ensure equal rights in public engagement such as in education and employment. The division is responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin by investigating claims. The history of the institution includes many ground breaking decisions that shaped American life, such as the landmark Brown v. Board case.
Ms. Clarke's track record epitomized the type of experience necessary for the job. She has prosecuted hate crimes, cases involving human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault affording her a breadth of personal knowledge in many areas of Civil Rights litigation. In her capacity serving on the NAACP Legal Defense she worked to secure voting rights, making her highly competent lead on ballot protection.
In her most recent role Clarke was the Executive Director for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. However, Clarke has come full circle, returning to the lead the office where she actually began her career.
UPDATE at 7:05 PM on May 25, 2021
Vice Pres. Kamala Harris administered the oath to Kristen Clarke to lead the Civil Rights Division on Tuesday, May 25, the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death. The Senate narrowly confirmed Clarke with a 51-48 vote that was divided along party lines. Susan Collins of Maine was the lone Republican vote. Republican Senator Kennedy of Louisiana did not vote.
The confirmation had been held up mainly by Senate Republicans who were perhaps resistant to give a liberal leaning candidate power to oversee many of the issues they reject.
Attempts to place hurdles along the path to a confirmation were thwarted by a silent sisterhood of women leaders who lauded Clarke's record.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a press briefing had spoken about the multiple reasons the Senate should confirm Clarke in a press briefing.
The final push came from a group of Black women who rallied for Attorney Clarke online to expedite her confirmation, concerned that she could meet the same fate of Judge Merrick Garland, the current Attorney General who did not get confirmed to the Supreme Court under Pres. Obama. There were television ads touting her good character and leadership. Flyers Numerous favorable tweets were shared on social media by Black women in support of the new head of the nation's hub for fairness and equality.
Clarke's mother Pansy Clarke held the Bible that was used at her swearing in.
Guests of Clarke included:
Miles Avery (son)
Karen Clarke (sister)
Mustafa Aksakal (partner)
Clara Aksakal (daughter of Mustafa)
Garland and Clarke are now officially in the same team as she becomes the Assistant Attorney General.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who voted against Attorney Clarke quickly released statement augmented his dissatisfaction with her confirmation.
Sen. Ted Cruz continues to denounce Ms. Clarke
Republicans orevious attemtpeds to kill the process did not work. However, the resistance continues with Judicairy member Sen. Ted Cruz is "Kristen Clarke is one of the most radical nominees ever put forward for any position in the federal government, and today Democrats have voted to give her a top position at the Department of Justice. Let me be clear: Kristen Clarke is completely unfit to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. Not only has she made her disgust for law enforcement clear by her repeated calls to defund the police, she has a history of not only excusing, but celebrating criminals who have murdered police officers. What are police officers across the country supposed to think about Democrats elevating someone to a senior position at the Department of Justice knowing that she has celebrated a brutal cop killer?
The press Secretary of Vice Pres. Kamala Harris addressed the historic nature of the appointment coloring before the swearing in:
“This is a historic moment because for the first time since its creation, following the enactment of following the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the confirmed Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights will be a woman, and will be a black woman, and that is Kristen Clarke. She is a timeless champion of equal justice. She has done groundbreaking and courageous legal advocacy and enforcement work, accompanying virtually every area of civil rights, including voting rights, religious freedom, gender equity, educational equity, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, immigration rights. She’s got a long list of accomplishments, she's a badass ... The Department of Justice is, I would argue, getting a gem in Kristen Clark. In this position, her personal and professional experience has prepared her to take on this important job and it's a critical moment in this time and vice president Harris is looking forward to swearing her into that. Thank you. Great, thank you. And I guess the last one I want to make is that ... And I would I would refer you all over to the Department of Justice for additional questions about Clark's confirmation and the work that she will be, she is going to be doing, but I think it is safe to say from my perspective that there's nothing partisan about protecting the civil rights of the American people. And that's exactly what we'll be doing in this role.”
