Posted on May 25, 2021
Senate confirms Kristen Clarke as first Black woman to lead DOJ civil rights division
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Democrats confirmed Kristen Clarke on Tuesday as the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights division, a historic step that came on the anniversary of George Floyd's killing -- and after a vitriolic campaign by Republicans over her stance on policing.
The vote was 51-48 with Sen. Susan Collins as the only Republican voting for her confirmation. Clarke's confirmation breaks barriers in a department that was established in 1957.
She was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Justice Department on Tuesday evening. Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders praised Clarke as "a timeless champion of equal justice" in a statement before the ceremony.
"This is a historic moment because for the first time since its creation, 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," Sanders said.
The vote was 51-48 with Sen. Susan Collins as the only Republican voting for her confirmation. Clarke's confirmation breaks barriers in a department that was established in 1957.
She was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Justice Department on Tuesday evening. Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders praised Clarke as "a timeless champion of equal justice" in a statement before the ceremony.
"This is a historic moment because for the first time since its creation, 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," Sanders said.
Senate confirms Kristen Clarke as first Black woman to lead DOJ civil rights division
Posted from cnn.com
DOJ
Rights
Posted 3 y ago
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Finally. To bad we can't go back in time and get the cops who used to arrest my black comrades for being black and driving a car.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Contentious confirmation hearing
"Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Mitch McConnell refused to back Clarke's nomination, citing her views on police reform.
"This is not the right nominee for a crucial post at a crucial time," McConnell said on Monday, pointing to the recent rise in violent crime across the US.
Cruz used a recent hearing on untraceable firearms to criticize both Clark and Vanita Gupta, who was confirmed in April as associate attorney general -- the first woman of color to fill the Justice Department's No. 3 position -- calling them "radicals."
Hawley told CNN last week that he agreed with Cruz, saying "the pattern of nominees by this administration have a very sort of radical leftist background."
Clarke defended her previous statements at her confirmation hearing last month, saying she's against defunding the police and would rather allocate funds to other social programs.
"I do not support defunding the police," she said at the hearing, in response to a question from Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. "I do support finding strategies to ensure that law enforcement can carry out their jobs more safely and effectively and channeling resources to emotional health treatment and other severely under-resourced areas."
Contentious confirmation hearing
"Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Mitch McConnell refused to back Clarke's nomination, citing her views on police reform.
"This is not the right nominee for a crucial post at a crucial time," McConnell said on Monday, pointing to the recent rise in violent crime across the US.
Cruz used a recent hearing on untraceable firearms to criticize both Clark and Vanita Gupta, who was confirmed in April as associate attorney general -- the first woman of color to fill the Justice Department's No. 3 position -- calling them "radicals."
Hawley told CNN last week that he agreed with Cruz, saying "the pattern of nominees by this administration have a very sort of radical leftist background."
Clarke defended her previous statements at her confirmation hearing last month, saying she's against defunding the police and would rather allocate funds to other social programs.
"I do not support defunding the police," she said at the hearing, in response to a question from Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. "I do support finding strategies to ensure that law enforcement can carry out their jobs more safely and effectively and channeling resources to emotional health treatment and other severely under-resourced areas."
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