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Clay Calls for Hearing on Justice Department Lapses

Date: Nov. 18, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights


Clay Calls for Hearing on Justice Department Lapses
Friday, November 18th, 2005

Says Civil Rights Division No Longer Fights Discrimination, Fails to Protect Voting Rights

Washington, DC -

Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri, has formally requested a hearing of the House Committee on Government Reform to investigate a serious decrease in civil rights and voting rights enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice. In a letter to committee chairman, Congressman Tom Davis (R) Virginia, Clay noted that "The Civil Rights Division's criminal prosecutions of cases of racial and gender-based discrimination have declined 40% over the past five years."

Mr. Clay, who serves on the Government Reform Committee, also asked Chairman Davis to investigate the Justice Department's recent approval of a Georgia election statute that would have required all voters to present a state-issued voter ID card at the polls. The law was later struck down in Federal Court.
"The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has always been on the front lines of defending the voting rights of African Americans and other minorities. So I find it alarming that they recently approved the Georgia law that would have created a modern-day poll tax," said Mr. Clay.

Recent media reports have confirmed that nearly 20 percent of the lawyers in the Civil Rights Division have resigned during 2005. Many of these career professionals have cited interference from Bush administration political appointees, which restricted their ability to vigorously enforce civil rights and voting rights protections. In his letter to Chairman Davis, Mr. Clay said, "Our committee should play a vital role in ensuring that the U.S. Department of Justice is doing everything possible to protect the rights of all citizens. Our goal should be to measure the impact that political appointees have in policy decisions in the Justice Department, and perhaps other Cabinet agencies."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/mo01_clay/ClayVoterid.html

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