Civil rights advocates are calling for a swift confirmation for Attorney General-designate Eric Holder Jr., lauding his record on behalf of women and minorities and dismissing concerns that Holder lacks the independence to lead the Department of Justice.
They say Holder demonstrated a commitment to civil rights by prioritizing the department’s Civil Rights Division when he was deputy attorney general, by establishing a domestic violence unit when he was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, and by working to diversify the legal profession. He even took a direct interest in a state civil trial against the Ku Klux Klan in South Carolina, removing bureaucratic hurdles that were preventing live testimony from federal inmates.
“With the Bill of Rights in tatters, with the Department of Justice in tatters, we need a person who can hold it together, and that person is Eric Holder,” Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP, said at a news conference Wednesday.
Speaking at the same news conference, Sens. Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also fired back at recent criticism of Holder. “You have an individual who spent 12 years prosecuting public corruption,” said Whitehouse, referring to Holder’s time in the Public Integrity Section. "There is a powerful record behind Eric Holder of political independence."
The support for Holder comes eight days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to begin a hearing on his nomination. Republicans have promised to ask tough questions about his role in the Clinton administration, though Holder is still expected to win confirmation. The Senate confirmed him for three previous jobs.
Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, accused Republicans of pursuing “political gamesmanship,” retaliating against Holder because of Democratic opposition to John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales, and Michael Mukasey when they were nominated.
“Those decisions were based on the records of the individuals involved prior to their appointment as attorney general, but any fair evaluation of their performance in office would suggest that the basis of that opposition was legitimate and well-founded,” Henderson said. “In the case of Eric Holder, there is no legitimate basis for the criticism against him. He is by any standard the most well-qualified, well-prepared candidate to ever have been offered this position.”
Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza, praised Holder’s personal experience, noting that his father emigrated from Barbados. “His own background as the son of an immigrant has made him sympathetic to the concerns, legal and otherwise, of immigrants in this country—something not lost on the Latino community in this country,” Murguía said.
Many civil rights organizations have sent letters to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Holder, who would be the first black attorney general if confirmed.
As a partner with Covington & Burling for the last eight years, Holder has focused his work in part on employment discrimination cases where he represented corporate defendants such as GlaxoSmithKline and MBNA. Asked about that record, Henderson said he isn’t concerned. “In our system of government, when disputes arise, both contesting parties are entitled to be represented by counsel,” he said.
Comments