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Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Nominate Attorney General Dedicated to 'Bedrock Principle of Equal Justice'
"We need an attorney general... committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice."
Dec 15, 2020
Dozens of advocacy groups on Wednesday signed an open letter calling on President-elect Joe Biden to nominate an attorney general and other senior Justice Department officials "who have strong records with regard to civil rights enforcement and justice reform."
"Americans deserve an attorney general with a deep respect for the fundamental principles of liberty and justice for all, a demonstrated commitment to protecting and advancing the civil rights of everyone, and an unyielding dedication to transforming the criminal legal system."
--Civil rights groups
"The Biden-Harris administration must make civil rights enforcement a priority, and the Department of Justice is a pivotal leader in that effort," the letter, which was coordinated by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, stated.
"We need an attorney general and other senior leadership who are committed to ending discrimination; addressing white supremacy and hate violence; and advancing racial, gender, disability, ethnic, religious, immigrant, and LGBTQ justice," the groups wrote. "We need leaders who understand the authority, processes, and mission of the department, and who will defend the bedrock principle of equal justice for all people in America."
The letter added that "Americans deserve an attorney general with a deep respect for the fundamental principles of liberty and justice for all, a demonstrated commitment to protecting and advancing the civil rights of everyone, and an unyielding dedication to transforming the criminal legal system."
Some of the letter's 76 signatories include Common Cause, Human Rights Campaign, NAACP, National Disability Rights Network, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Voto Latino.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a broad coalition of over 220 national organizations, was founded in 1950 by civil rights icons A. Philip Randolph and Roy Wilkins, and Jewish Council for Public Affairs director Arnold Aronson.
As Biden's transition team reportedly winnows the field of prospective attorney general nominees down to a handful of names, some civil rights advocates have voiced concerns over the likely frontrunner, former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.).
Some Democrats including Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) have praised Jones, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama during the Clinton administration, for ending decades of impunity by prosecuting the last living Ku Klux Klansmen who murdered four young Black girls during the infamous 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.
However, some civil rights leaders say that any potential nominee should not be judged on the strength of a single case, and that Biden must focus on choosing someone who has a consistent record of upholding civil rights and advocating criminal justice reform.
"I would never look at one case for anyone to determine the full measure of their record on civil rights or criminal justice reform," Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of letter signatory NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, told the Washington Post last week.
"I think if you're looking at the full measure of their record, it's legitimate to ask how broad that record is in the matters that are of most interest to activists and communities of color around the country," Ifill added.
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In Letter to Mnuchin, Harris and 13 Other Senators Demand Stimulus Cash Be Exempt From Debt Collections
"Americans are in dire need of money to pay their rent and put food on the table—this is absurd."
Apr 17, 2020
Sen. Kamala Harris and 13 other senators on Friday sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin demanding that coronavirus stimulus checks not be subject to debt collections as reports continue to increase of the one-time $1,200 payments being seized by creditors.
"Americans are in dire need of money to pay their rent and put food on the table--this is absurd," Harris tweeted Friday.
The letter, which was also signed by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), demands Mnuchin "exempt Americans' direct assistance payments from private debt collection so that American families can receive critical assistance to help them get through this unprecedented crisis."
"The American people are struggling right now to find ways to navigate the current crisis and keep themselves and their families healthy," the letter continues. "They need this assistance more than ever and it is Treasury's responsibility to act and ensure that every American family who is eligible for the assistance can receive its full benefit."
The senators add that Mnuchin must act quickly, "given the fact that direct assistance payments will be mailed or deposited directly into banking accounts very soon."
According to The Hill, private financial institutions which are seizing the money are issuing their own letter to lawmakers claiming the Treasury Department and Congress have made it impossible to know what is and is not permitted:
Top banking associations also sent a letter to Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) noting that under the coronavirus bill, "Congress failed to define these payments as benefits subject to preemption from garnishment."
"As a result, with regard to any legal garnishment, depository institutions have no discretion and are obligated to comply with applicable state laws and court-ordered garnishments," the groups said, adding that Congress should pass language clarifying future COVID-19 payments.
Despite the claims that banks have their hands tied by the law, USAA was able to cease seizure and refund money taken from checks for veterans and their families on Thursday. As Common Dreams reported, the decision came after outrage in the wake of an exclusive from David Dayen of the American Prospect on the seizures. Dayen made the case for federal guidance on the payments after the reversal by USAA.
"Only a global solution by Treasury can ensure that the payments get into the hands of individuals struggling to make ends meet and afford basic necessities," wrote Dayen. "A bank-by-bank or state-by-state solution will ultimately not protect everyone in time."
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With 'Baseless' Voter Fraud Claim, Roy Moore Challenges Alabama Election Loss
"This entire lawsuit is a taste of what Trump and Kobach's rhetoric and conspiracies lead to, and potentially a preview of what could follow if Trump loses in November 2020."
Dec 28, 2017
Just days after sharing an article from a right-wing website that blamed a "coalition of Muslim and Marxist-led groups" for his loss in Alabama's Senate election, Republican and accused child molester Roy Moore made his denial official late Wednesday night by filing a legal challenge alleging that he was the victim of widespread voter fraud.
The complaint comes just hours before Alabama officials are scheduled to certify the election results, which had Democrat Doug Jones winning by more than 20,000 votes.
At the center of Moore's challenge is the claim that "anomalous" high voter turnout in Jefferson County--where 43 percent of the population is black--constitutes evidence of voter fraud. But as analyst Daniel Nichanian noted, Moore's assertion that Jefferson Country turnout was unusually high is based on a "vast underestimation" of turnout from Alabama's Republican Secretary of State, John Merrill.
Merrill's prediction placed expected turnout in Jefferson County at 25 percent, "an implausibly low number he justified by citing low energy he saw while traveling," Nichanian writes. (Actual turnout was 47 percent.)
In effect, Nichanian concludes, "Moore cites high turnout in a county that's far higher-than-average African-American (a pattern that's not exceptional and is documented throughout state) as evidence of fraud. African Americans voting is apparently inherently suspicious."
On top of claiming that black Alabamians turning out to vote against a candidate who expressed nostalgia for the days of slavery is somehow inherently suspicious, the Moore campaign also cited a widely circulated YouTube video as proof that out-of-state voters propelled his Democratic opponent to victory.
Moore's challenge also quotes a poll worker who said she witnessed a large number of people voting with out-of-state drivers' licenses. (Alabama law allows voters to use photo identification from any state.)
In crying "voter fraud" and refusing to concede defeat, Moore is taking a page straight from President Donald Trump's playbook. Trump repeatedly claimed following last year's presidential election that he would have won the popular vote if it wasn't for millions of "illegal votes."
"This entire lawsuit is a taste of what Trump and [Kansas Secretary of State Kris] Kobach's rhetoric and conspiracies lead to, and potentially a preview of what could follow if Trump loses in November 2020," Nichanian concluded.
In a CNN interview on Thursday, Alabama Secretary of State Merrill--whose office has found "no evidence" of voter fraud--insisted that Moore's challenge would not effect Jones's certification.
"Doug Jones will be certified today," Merrill concluded.
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