Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, issued the following statement applauding the historic confirmation of Kristen Clarke as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, the first African American woman to lead the Civil Rights Division, which has played a life-changing role in securing the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all Americans, especially the marginalized and powerless, since it was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which at the time was the first federal civil rights statute enacted by Congress in nearly a century:

“I commend President Biden for his visionary leadership in nominating, the U.S. Senate for its collective wisdom in confirming, and most of all, Kristen Clarke for making history as the first African American woman to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. As one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers, she has devoted her entire professional life in public service building bridges and working to make equal justice under law a reality for all. Serving as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights will be a return to service for her since her distinguished legal career began as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division when she joined the Department of Justice Honors Law Program after graduating from Columbia Law School.

“The breadth and depth of Kristen Clark’s experience can be seen by reviewing her accomplishments and achievements during remarkable legal career. While serving as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, she worked closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials to conduct investigations into issues such as human trafficking, hate crimes and official misconduct and she worked with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute domestic violence cases, including intimate partner violence, family violence, assaults, and stalking. As Chief of the Civil Rights Bureau in the New York State Attorney General's Office, Clarke worked with sheriffs' offices to institute best practices on language access to build trust and improve policing of communities with limited English proficiency. This collaborative work led to comprehensive language policies for forces across the state. And as the head of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, she conducted training for the National Sheriffs’ Association on 21st Century Community Policing and in 2009 led the LDF legal team in successfully defending the Voting Rights Act against a constitutional challenge in one of the most important civil rights cases to come before the U.S. Supreme Court up until that time, Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. One v. Holder, 557 U.S. 193 (2009), which upheld the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and involved collaboration among a number of local and national organizations.

“After the turbulence of the past four years at the Department of Justice, and on the anniversary of the unjustified killing of George Floyd, whose murder was so gruesome that it is seared into the minds of Americans the systemic racism experienced by black Americans in the administration of justice, it is more important than ever that stability, responsibility, and above all, the commitment to equal justice for all be restored to the Department of Justice and that its reputation be reestablished as the defender of the rule of law and of discrete and insular minorities vulnerable to unfair and unequal treatment. As Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Ms. Clarke will bring the passion for justice that is the hallmark of her remarkable legal career to ensuring that all persons are treated equal under law and to combating discrimination, whether it be on the grounds of race, sex, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. She is the right person at the right time to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.”