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| The Civil Rights Division has a proud legacy. Eric Dreiband is unfit to lead it | The Civil Rights Division has a proud legacy. Eric Dreiband is unfit to lead it |
| (21 days later) | |
| Over half a century ago, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 in what was a watershed moment for the US. In spite of intense opposition, including Strom Thurmond carrying out the longest spoken filibuster in the history of our country, Congress enacted the first significant African American civil rights measure since the Reconstruction era. The legislation established the US Commission on Civil Rights, on which I was honoured to serve for five presidential administrations, and it created a specific division within the Department of Justice dedicated solely to protecting civil rights. | Over half a century ago, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 in what was a watershed moment for the US. In spite of intense opposition, including Strom Thurmond carrying out the longest spoken filibuster in the history of our country, Congress enacted the first significant African American civil rights measure since the Reconstruction era. The legislation established the US Commission on Civil Rights, on which I was honoured to serve for five presidential administrations, and it created a specific division within the Department of Justice dedicated solely to protecting civil rights. |
| Sixty years later, we are witnessing a painful unravelling of a civil rights legacy that many people devoted their careers to – or even gave their lives for. | Sixty years later, we are witnessing a painful unravelling of a civil rights legacy that many people devoted their careers to – or even gave their lives for. |
| Fervent civil rights opponent Jeff Sessions now runs the government agency intended to defend the promise of justice for all, and he has wasted no time in turning back the clock on a range of critical civil rights issues. Sessions’ recommended nominee to lead the justice department’s civil rights division, Eric Dreiband, has dedicated a large part of his career to challenging the very kinds of discrimination protections that the division was designed to enforce. | Fervent civil rights opponent Jeff Sessions now runs the government agency intended to defend the promise of justice for all, and he has wasted no time in turning back the clock on a range of critical civil rights issues. Sessions’ recommended nominee to lead the justice department’s civil rights division, Eric Dreiband, has dedicated a large part of his career to challenging the very kinds of discrimination protections that the division was designed to enforce. |
| Dreiband is, quite simply, unfit to take on the weighty responsibility of leading the civil rights division. Rather than working to protect the constitutional rights of marginalised communities, much of Dreiband’s professional work has been focused on defending large corporations against discrimination charges. When Bloomberg was accused of lowering the salaries of pregnant women, it was Dreiband who defended the company. When Abercrombie & Fitch declined to hire a young Muslim woman because she wore a headscarf, Dreiband represented them. (Fortunately, the supreme court rejected his arguments and ruled in favour of the Muslim woman.) | Dreiband is, quite simply, unfit to take on the weighty responsibility of leading the civil rights division. Rather than working to protect the constitutional rights of marginalised communities, much of Dreiband’s professional work has been focused on defending large corporations against discrimination charges. When Bloomberg was accused of lowering the salaries of pregnant women, it was Dreiband who defended the company. When Abercrombie & Fitch declined to hire a young Muslim woman because she wore a headscarf, Dreiband represented them. (Fortunately, the supreme court rejected his arguments and ruled in favour of the Muslim woman.) |
| Dreiband has spoken out against measures designed to ensure equal pay for women | Dreiband has spoken out against measures designed to ensure equal pay for women |
| While a lawyer cannot reasonably be held accountable for the actions of the clients they represent, Dreiband has also acted in a personal capacity to oppose civil rights protections. He has spoken out against measures designed to ensure equal pay for women, including opposing the bipartisan Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2008. He co-authored an op-ed criticising policies that address obstacles to employment for those with conviction histories, such as “ban the box” measures. | While a lawyer cannot reasonably be held accountable for the actions of the clients they represent, Dreiband has also acted in a personal capacity to oppose civil rights protections. He has spoken out against measures designed to ensure equal pay for women, including opposing the bipartisan Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2008. He co-authored an op-ed criticising policies that address obstacles to employment for those with conviction histories, such as “ban the box” measures. |
| This record stands in stark contrast to the work the civil rights division is responsible for carrying out, such as protecting voting rights and prosecuting hate crimes. | This record stands in stark contrast to the work the civil rights division is responsible for carrying out, such as protecting voting rights and prosecuting hate crimes. |
| The civil rights division has been called “the conscience of the federal government”, often serving at the forefront of national efforts to expand and ensure civil rights for all. When three civil rights workers were murdered in Mississippi in 1964, it was the civil rights division that led the prosecution and sought justice. When black Americans in the south were being blocked, sometimes through physical violence, from registering to vote in the 1960s, the civil rights division brought lawsuits to push for change. This is the legacy and the responsibility of this office – one that cannot be taken lightly. Dreiband has failed to demonstrate that he is the right person to take on that responsibility. | The civil rights division has been called “the conscience of the federal government”, often serving at the forefront of national efforts to expand and ensure civil rights for all. When three civil rights workers were murdered in Mississippi in 1964, it was the civil rights division that led the prosecution and sought justice. When black Americans in the south were being blocked, sometimes through physical violence, from registering to vote in the 1960s, the civil rights division brought lawsuits to push for change. This is the legacy and the responsibility of this office – one that cannot be taken lightly. Dreiband has failed to demonstrate that he is the right person to take on that responsibility. |
| Especially in the wake of Charlottesville, it is clear that Americans need a justice department that is serious about defending civil rights for the most vulnerable among us: in short, a justice department that is serious about justice. Anything less is an insult to the legacy of civil rights work to which so many have dedicated their lives. | Especially in the wake of Charlottesville, it is clear that Americans need a justice department that is serious about defending civil rights for the most vulnerable among us: in short, a justice department that is serious about justice. Anything less is an insult to the legacy of civil rights work to which so many have dedicated their lives. |
| Dr Mary Frances Berry is a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and serves on the board of People for the American Way. She served on the US Commission on Civil Rights from 1980 to 2004, including as chair from 1993 to 2004. | Dr Mary Frances Berry is a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania and serves on the board of People for the American Way. She served on the US Commission on Civil Rights from 1980 to 2004, including as chair from 1993 to 2004. |
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