Earlier positions on Affirmative Action, Civil Rights and Disparate Impact Standards Far from Mainstream America
Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to the U.S. Senate voting to confirm Neomi Rao to serve on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Kristen Clarke President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement:
“Today, the United States Senate voted to advance the nomination of Neomi Rao to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Rao’s lifetime appointment on our nation’s second highest court is deeply troubling, and serves as a painful reminder that while in office, President Trump has continued to hijack our federal courts with radical nominees who lie far outside the mainstream. Rao’s offensive collegiate writings on race and affirmative action foreshadowed the type of anti-civil rights work she would go on to lead as the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator, where she led the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate the disparate impact standard at the Department of Housing and Urban Development for proving discrimination in housing contexts.”
“Our country needs fair-minded judges who are the last line of defense against threats to our civil and human rights.”
About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 56th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.
Contact
Reynolds Graves, Lawyers’ Committee, RGraves@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-622-8375
