January, 13 2019, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Derrick Robinson, Lawyers’ Committee, DRobinson@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-662-8317
Barr Must Restore the Integrity of the DOJ & Reactivate Civil Rights Enforcement
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Issues Statement Ahead of Barr’s Confirmation Hearing for AG
WASHINGTON
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement ahead of William Barr's Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for U.S. Attorney General.
"During his earlier tenure at the Justice Department, William Barr was one of the staunchest proponents for mass incarceration, promoting policies that ignited the War on Drugs in our country. From encouraging prison construction, promoting harsh sentencing, and opposing policing reform, Barr has espoused views that run contrary to our best thinking today about criminal justice. During his confirmation hearing, it is critical that Barr make clear that he has abandoned his earlier positions on criminal justice and is prepared to implement a 21st century approach on issues ranging from policing, prisons, sentencing and more. Barr must also acknowledge the devastating impact that his policies have had on African Americans and other communities of color.
"Barr's nomination comes following a period that has proven to be devastating when it comes to civil rights enforcement in our country. At every turn, this Justice Department has abandoned enforcement of civil rights laws and reversed course in pending cases. Barr must provide evidence that makes clear that he will restore the integrity of the Justice Department and reactivate civil rights enforcement across the board."
The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today.
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Israel Threatens to Open 'Gates of Hell' on Gaza to Force Hamas Hostage Release
"If Israel resumes its assault on Gaza, the Trump administration will own it—this is the legacy of its unconditional support for Israeli aggression," said one advocacy group.
Mar 03, 2025
As Israeli officials warned Monday of dire repercussions if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages it holds in Gaza, advocacy groups decried reporting that Israel is planning to obliterate a crumbling six-week cease-fire with a massive escalation against the already flattened Palestinian enclave.
Addressing the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamnin Netanyahu said Hamas, which governs Gaza, will face "consequences they cannot imagine" should it fail to free the dozens of Israeli and international hostages it kidnapped on October 7, 2023.
"We are preparing for the next stages of the war—on seven fronts," Netanyahu claimed, adding that "we will not stop until we achieve total victory—returning all our hostages, destroying Hamas' military and governing power, and ensuring Gaza is no longer a threat to Israel."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz was even more blunt, vowing that "if Hamas does not release the hostages soon, the gates of Gaza will be locked, and the gates of hell will be opened—we will return to fighting, and they will face the [Israel Defense Forces] with forces and methods they have never encountered before."
These comments followed Sunday reporting by Israeli public broadcaster Kan that Israel is readying what it calls a "hell plan" to re-invade Gaza, renew the forced expulsion of its residents, and cut off the remaining water and electricity supply to a people already reeling from a 15-month onslaught and siege that's left most of Gaza in ruins; more than 170,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing; and over 2 million others displaced, starved, or sickened, according to local and international agencies.
"The latest reports of Israel preparing to resume its aggression against Gaza represent yet another blatant retreat from the original cease-fire terms that had been agreed upon by both parties," the Virginia-based advocacy group Americans for Justice in Palestine (AJP) Action said in a statement Monday.
The group continued:
The original agreement, established to halt 15 months of Israeli aggression and genocide, facilitated the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, increased humanitarian aid, and initiated a partial Israeli troop withdrawal. However, the proposed extension of the first stage of the cease-fire by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, aiming for a temporary truce over Ramadan and Passover, has been met with complications. Witkoff's new unreleased plan deviates from the framework negotiated for deescalation. Instead, it sets the stage for Israel to further entrench its occupation, siege, and genocide with full U.S. complicity and partnership.
Under Witkoff's proposal, Hamas would free half of its living hostages and the bodies of half of those who were killed or died since their abduction. Israeli officials say Hamas still has 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.
"This moment directly results from the Trump administration's reckless and deliberate policy choices," AJP Action stressed. "[U.S. President Donald] Trump and his officials not only emboldened Israel's most extreme elements but also dismantled even the pretense of a U.S. commitment to a just resolution. If Israel resumes its assault on Gaza, the Trump administration will own it—this is the legacy of its unconditional support for Israeli aggression."
Israel's fresh threat came after it halted all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza following a Saturday decision by the country's Security Council, a move Hamas blasted as a "war crime" and cease-fire violation. Netanyahu claimed the cutoff was made "in full coordination" Trump and "his people."
United Nations Children's Fund Middle East and North Africa Director Edouard Beigbeder warned Monday that "the aid restrictions announced yesterday will severely compromise lifesaving operations for civilians."
"It is imperative that the cease-fire—a critical lifeline for children—remains in place, and that aid is allowed to flow freely so we can continue to scale up the humanitarian response," Beigbeder added.
Children and families across Gaza are struggling to survive without enough food, medicine or shelter. “The ceasefire must hold, and more aid must be allowed in to prevent further suffering and loss of life.” - Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF MENA Regional Director. Details: unicef.link/41kLyr7
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— UNICEF (@unicef.org) March 3, 2025 at 7:07 AM
However, a source familiar with ongoing cease-fire negotiations toldThe Jerusalem Post Monday that "nothing is currently moving on this front."
On the ground in Gaza, Palestinians continue to endure tremendous hardships—last week, local medical professionals said six infants died of hypothermia—including skyrocketing prices on essential items in scarce supply.
"Often, I find myself weighing up whether I should buy food items or buy blankets for sleeping," Hikmat al-Masri, a 44-year-old professor from Beit Lahia, toldThe Guardian Monday. "Both options are difficult and expensive."
Hassan Musa, a forcibly displaced father of eight from northern Gaza, told the British newspaper that "to subject innocent people to the deprivation of aid and to threaten them with cutting off water and food supplies is the height of injustice and criminality."
"Prices are rising without logic, making financial planning for the family nearly impossible," he added. "Even the aid we used to receive has stopped, which increases the fears of a return of famine to the north, after we thought we had overcome it."
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Memos From USAID Official Now on Leave Warn of Aid Cuts' Dire Humanitarian Impact
"This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale," wrote Nicholas Enrich, an acting assistant administrator at USAID who was placed on leave.
Mar 03, 2025
An official at the U.S. Agency for International Development who authored multiple memos taking aim at the Trump administration's handling of U.S. humanitarian assistance, including alleging that it has failed to follow through on its commitment to allow "lifesaving" programs to continue, was placed on administrative leave Sunday.
On January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 90-day pause on most foreign aid activities in order to allow the administration to review the programs. Later, on January 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved a waiver on the pause for lifesaving humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, over the past few weeks, the administration has also carried out mass firings at USAID and cut thousands of the agency's contracts.
The author of the documents, Acting Assistant Administrator for Global Health Nicholas Enrich, wrote in a memo dated February 28 that "USAID's failure to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance under the waiver is the result of political leadership at USAID, the Department of State, and [the Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE)], who have created and continue to create intentional and/or unintentional obstacles that have wholly prevented implementation."
According to The Washington Post, Enrich's statements contradict claims from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that there is a system in place that successfully exempts lifesaving assistance from the aid freeze.
Enrich said that the actions thwarting implementation include refusing to pay for assistance activities that have been conducted, and restriction of access to USAID's payment systems, among others. "This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale," he wrote.
In response to the February 28 memo, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), told The Washington Post that "these new details confirm our worst fears: the illegal and systematic dismantling of USAID will cause real suffering and deaths that are entirely preventable."
Another memo described personnel cuts among the agency's global health workforce, according to The New York Times and other outlets. Per the Times, Enrich said he released the memos on Sunday afternoon, after he received an email letting him now he would be placed on administrative leave.
And in a third memo, which is dated March 4, Enrich wrote that "the temporary pause on foreign aid and delays in approving lifesaving humanitarian assistance for global health will lead to increased death and disability, accelerate global disease spread, contribute to destabilizing fragile regions, and heightened security risks."
Enrich offered specific estimates for the impact of the U.S. retrenchment on U.S. humanitarian assistance. If global health programs are permanently halted, then the world can expect a 39.1% increase in annual malaria deaths, a 28%-32% increase in estimated global incidence of tuberculosis, and an additional 200,000 cases of paralytic polio per year, he wrote.
Additionally, the absence of life-saving health services in the future would impact tens of millions of people around the world, in particular pregnant women, newborns, and children suffering from pneumonia and diarrhea.
Failing to help stem the spread of preventable disease would have an impact on the United States, wrote Enrich, who warned of strain on U.S. healthcare infrastructure because of imported infectious disease cases and global economic repercussions impacting U.S. trade and markets citing, for example, that disease like "malaria, HIV, and TB primarily strike working-age adults or their children, impairing productivity and economic output in Africa, Asia, and beyond."
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'Brain Drain': Study Shows Workers Fleeing States With Abortion Bans
"Workers are not willing to trade their health and autonomy for a paycheck," said one advocate.
Mar 03, 2025
Republican lawmakers across the United States are determined to force people who become pregnant to carry their pregnancies to term by passing abortion bans and "fetal personhood" laws, but a new report shows that in many states, they are choosing choosing restrictions on reproductive rights over their states' workforce.
"Workers are not willing to trade their health and autonomy for a paycheck," said Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) as the group released a report Monday on "brain drain" in states with abortion bans.
The group analyzed a survey of 10,000 adults by Morning Consult and found that 1 in 5 respondents who are planning to have children in the next decade has moved to a new state due to abortion restrictions, or knows someone who has.
Among people with advanced degrees, 14% have moved out-of-state because of anti-abortion laws or know someone who has.
Nancy Northrup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), which advised on the study, said the report showed that "reproductive healthcare is a personal issue and workplace imperative."
"For business leaders and policymakers, protecting reproductive rights isn't just the right thing to do—it's essential for talent and long-term economic stability," said Northrup.
The two groups said the study showed employees' demands for policymakers and workplaces in states that are hostile to abortion rights.
"Access to reproductive healthcare is a fundamental component of workplace equity, and businesses can no longer afford to ignore the impact of abortion restrictions on their workforce."
Fifty-seven percent of workers who plan to have children prioritize employers who offer reproductive healthcare benefits and 56% person think companies should actively engage with lawmakers to protect abortion rights.
In states with restrictive abortion laws, people broadly support family-friendly workplace policies, according to the report, including 83% of Mississippi residents who back paid sick leave; 56% of people in West Virginia who think employers should offer paid time off for fertility treatments; and 70% of people in Alabama who support paid leave for pregnancy-related healthcare.
"Access to reproductive healthcare is a fundamental component of workplace equity, and businesses can no longer afford to ignore the impact of abortion restrictions on their workforce," said Taylor. "Our report makes it clear that companies who fail to address these needs risk losing their competitive edge. To build a resilient workforce and thriving economy, it's up to corporate leaders and lawmakers to take decisive action and make reproductive health care a top priority."
Workers expect their employers to not only provide reproductive healthcare and family-friendly benefits, but also to "stand up for these rights at a policy level," the report reads.
"Companies can play a critical role in helping to shape more accessible state policies and creating an environment that respects and safeguards access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare," it continues.
The report suggests that with workers thinking of moving to new states to get away from anti-abortion laws, employers will likely be incentivized to help ensure their states safeguard "access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare."
"Most employees are deeply concerned about their ability to access healthcare services while building their families, and they expect their employers to take an active role in protecting them," reads the report. "Accepting that reality and then making decisions from there will enable companies to attract and retain talent and, by advocating to improve the reproductive landscape across the U.S., drive economic progress."
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