Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005

For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Kim Alton
(202) 662-8600
kalton@lawyerscommittee.org
March 21, 2007

Lawyers' Committee Testifies Before Congress on Bush Politicalization of Justice Department
Joseph Rich Speaks to House Panel on the Dismantling of DOJ's Civil Rights Division

Washington, D.C. - Joseph Rich, Director of the Housing and Community Development Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, will testify tomorrow before the House Judiciary Committee on the current state of civil rights enforcement within the Department of Justice.

“The recent firing of eight U.S. Attorneys reflects a pattern of alarming practices by the Bush Administration's Justice Department which first came to light over one year ago in revelations about the politicalization of DOJ's Civil Rights Division,” said Rich.

As a Justice Department employee for thirty seven years, Rich will testify that under the Bush Administration, the Civil Rights Division has seriously strayed from its mission and purpose resulting in a loss of public confidence in the agency's ability to enforce civil rights laws in a fair and even-handed manner.

“Thorough congressional oversight is essential to placing Justice back on track as the principal enforcer of the nation's civil rights laws,” said Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee.

WHO: Joe Rich Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

WHAT: Changing Tides: Exploring the Current State of Civil Rights Enforcement within the Department of Justice

WHEN: 10:00 a.m. Thursday, March 22, 2007

WHERE: 2237 Rayburn House Office Building

To view the hearing live go to: http://judiciary.house.gov and click on the view live webcast link.


The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to provide legal services to address racial discrimination. For more information, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.


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