Marchers walk through the Homewood neighborhood during their Black Brilliance Collective: March and Gathering August 19, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Trump's Pick to Head DOJ Civil Rights Division Embodies 'Disdain for Civil Rights'
Groups slam Eric Dreiband as nominee who "has spent the vast majority of his career defending corporations accused of employment discrimination"
"Especially considering where this administration is when it comes to minority rights, this nomination does not look good."
--Sen. Mazie Hirono
Civil rights organizations are raising alarm ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Eric Dreiband, who groups argue has an "overwhelmingly anti-civil rights record" and is therefore "unfit" for the position.
CNN summarized Dreiband's history:
Civil rights groups are concerned about Dreiband's work since 2005 as a labor attorney for prominent Washington law firms Akin Gump and Jones Day, where he is currently a partner. Dreiband has defended companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in an age discrimination case, Bloomberg in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit, CVS Pharmacy in an employee severance agreement lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Dreiband also represented the University of North Carolina when it faced lawsuits after deciding to enforce the state's anti-transgender "bathroom bill," which was later repealed.
In a letter addressed to Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday, Lambda Legal and 46 other national, state, and local LGBTQ groups argued that the nomination of Dreiband "embodies this Justice Department's lack of commitment to defending the civil rights of LGBT people," and said it is yet another indication of Trump's "disdain for civil rights."
Trump's Department of Justice "appears not only to have abandoned its obligation to defend civil rights, but has decided instead to use its authority to inflict additional harm on communities already under attack, including (but certainly not limited to) the LGBT community," the groups wrote, urging the Senate to oppose Dreiband's confirmation.
"In its first six months, the Trump administration has exhibited an open hostility to core civil rights principles."
--Leadership Conference on Civil and Human RightsThe Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights similarly blasted the nomination of Dreiband in a letter (pdf) signed by over 70 organizations last week, arguing that Dreiband "has spent the vast majority of his career defending corporations accused of employment discrimination."
"In its first six months, the Trump administration has exhibited an open hostility to core civil rights principles," the groups concluded. "Dreiband is the wrong person to lead the Civil Rights Division."
In a statement on Wednesday, Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and former acting head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, concluded: "The leader of that division must have an allegiance to civil rights, and not to the president or a political party. This is particularly true given the Trump-Pence administration's open hostility to, and demonstrated record of undermining, our core civil rights."
After meeting with Dreiband ahead of Wednesday's hearing, lawmakers echoed the concerns of civil rights groups.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), following Dreiband's attempts to "convince her" of the strength of his civil rights record, concluded that she remains "concerned" about Dreiband's nomination, "considering he spent most of his professional life defending the people accused of discriminatory acts."
"Especially considering where this administration is when it comes to minority rights," Hirono concluded, "this nomination does not look good."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
"Especially considering where this administration is when it comes to minority rights, this nomination does not look good."
--Sen. Mazie Hirono
Civil rights organizations are raising alarm ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Eric Dreiband, who groups argue has an "overwhelmingly anti-civil rights record" and is therefore "unfit" for the position.
CNN summarized Dreiband's history:
Civil rights groups are concerned about Dreiband's work since 2005 as a labor attorney for prominent Washington law firms Akin Gump and Jones Day, where he is currently a partner. Dreiband has defended companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in an age discrimination case, Bloomberg in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit, CVS Pharmacy in an employee severance agreement lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Dreiband also represented the University of North Carolina when it faced lawsuits after deciding to enforce the state's anti-transgender "bathroom bill," which was later repealed.
In a letter addressed to Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday, Lambda Legal and 46 other national, state, and local LGBTQ groups argued that the nomination of Dreiband "embodies this Justice Department's lack of commitment to defending the civil rights of LGBT people," and said it is yet another indication of Trump's "disdain for civil rights."
Trump's Department of Justice "appears not only to have abandoned its obligation to defend civil rights, but has decided instead to use its authority to inflict additional harm on communities already under attack, including (but certainly not limited to) the LGBT community," the groups wrote, urging the Senate to oppose Dreiband's confirmation.
"In its first six months, the Trump administration has exhibited an open hostility to core civil rights principles."
--Leadership Conference on Civil and Human RightsThe Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights similarly blasted the nomination of Dreiband in a letter (pdf) signed by over 70 organizations last week, arguing that Dreiband "has spent the vast majority of his career defending corporations accused of employment discrimination."
"In its first six months, the Trump administration has exhibited an open hostility to core civil rights principles," the groups concluded. "Dreiband is the wrong person to lead the Civil Rights Division."
In a statement on Wednesday, Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and former acting head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, concluded: "The leader of that division must have an allegiance to civil rights, and not to the president or a political party. This is particularly true given the Trump-Pence administration's open hostility to, and demonstrated record of undermining, our core civil rights."
After meeting with Dreiband ahead of Wednesday's hearing, lawmakers echoed the concerns of civil rights groups.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), following Dreiband's attempts to "convince her" of the strength of his civil rights record, concluded that she remains "concerned" about Dreiband's nomination, "considering he spent most of his professional life defending the people accused of discriminatory acts."
"Especially considering where this administration is when it comes to minority rights," Hirono concluded, "this nomination does not look good."
"Especially considering where this administration is when it comes to minority rights, this nomination does not look good."
--Sen. Mazie Hirono
Civil rights organizations are raising alarm ahead of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, Eric Dreiband, who groups argue has an "overwhelmingly anti-civil rights record" and is therefore "unfit" for the position.
CNN summarized Dreiband's history:
Civil rights groups are concerned about Dreiband's work since 2005 as a labor attorney for prominent Washington law firms Akin Gump and Jones Day, where he is currently a partner. Dreiband has defended companies like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in an age discrimination case, Bloomberg in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit, CVS Pharmacy in an employee severance agreement lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Dreiband also represented the University of North Carolina when it faced lawsuits after deciding to enforce the state's anti-transgender "bathroom bill," which was later repealed.
In a letter addressed to Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday, Lambda Legal and 46 other national, state, and local LGBTQ groups argued that the nomination of Dreiband "embodies this Justice Department's lack of commitment to defending the civil rights of LGBT people," and said it is yet another indication of Trump's "disdain for civil rights."
Trump's Department of Justice "appears not only to have abandoned its obligation to defend civil rights, but has decided instead to use its authority to inflict additional harm on communities already under attack, including (but certainly not limited to) the LGBT community," the groups wrote, urging the Senate to oppose Dreiband's confirmation.
"In its first six months, the Trump administration has exhibited an open hostility to core civil rights principles."
--Leadership Conference on Civil and Human RightsThe Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights similarly blasted the nomination of Dreiband in a letter (pdf) signed by over 70 organizations last week, arguing that Dreiband "has spent the vast majority of his career defending corporations accused of employment discrimination."
"In its first six months, the Trump administration has exhibited an open hostility to core civil rights principles," the groups concluded. "Dreiband is the wrong person to lead the Civil Rights Division."
In a statement on Wednesday, Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and former acting head of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, concluded: "The leader of that division must have an allegiance to civil rights, and not to the president or a political party. This is particularly true given the Trump-Pence administration's open hostility to, and demonstrated record of undermining, our core civil rights."
After meeting with Dreiband ahead of Wednesday's hearing, lawmakers echoed the concerns of civil rights groups.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), following Dreiband's attempts to "convince her" of the strength of his civil rights record, concluded that she remains "concerned" about Dreiband's nomination, "considering he spent most of his professional life defending the people accused of discriminatory acts."
"Especially considering where this administration is when it comes to minority rights," Hirono concluded, "this nomination does not look good."