CONYERS: Ahead of Hearing, CBC Sends Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Strongly Opposing Dreiband Nomination

WASHINGTON – On September 6. 2017, the Chairman of the 49-member Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), and the co-chairs of the CBC Task Force on Civil and Voting Rights, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), made public a letter, below, sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee strongly opposing the nomination of Eric Dreiband to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice.

In addition to lacking experience in several key civil rights areas important to communities of color (e.g. hate crimes, voting rights and police accountability), Dreiband has spent his career fighting against protections from various forms of employment discrimination. In 2007, he testified against bipartisan legislation to prevent long-term pay discrimination against women. In 2010, he testified before Congress against legislation to strengthen protections for millions of older Americans facing age discrimination in the workplace.

The letter and its excerpts, are below.

“Mr. Dreiband’s appointment follows President Trump’s agenda of tapping the fox to guard the henhouse.”

“At best, he has no known experience in the Division’s core issue areas, such as voting rights and hate crimes. At worst, he has devoted the vast majority of his career defending corporations accused of employment discrimination. Mr. Dreiband not only sought to limit the civil rights and remedies of Americans in the courtroom, but has also fought efforts in Congress to strengthen civil rights protections.”

Congressional Black Caucus Letter To Senate Judiciary Opposing Dreiband Appointment To Civil Rights Divisio... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS: CBC, Judiciary to Secretaries of State, Election Officials: Trump Administration Requests Will Likely Lead to Voter Suppression, Privacy Violations

WASHINGTON – Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Judiciary Committee Democrats sent letters, below, to the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors raising concerns that recent requests of them from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House voter fraud commission (Commission) may lead to voter suppression and privacy violations. In letters sent this week to secretaries of state and election officials in all 50 states, DOJ asks states to provide voter registration list maintenance procedures and the Commission asks states to provide detailed voter-roll information. Both letters appear to encourage greater voting purges by states.

“We have little doubt that if complied with, these letters – issued unilaterally without any vote or public discussion – would lead to an unprecedented, nationwide voter suppression effort,” wrote CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.), and Co-Chairs of the CBC Task Force on Civil and Voting Rights, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), and Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.).

Department of Justice Letter

“The letter from the DOJ appears to signal the initiation of a federal effort to prevent lawful voters from being able to vote, either by bullying states into removing such voters from their rolls, or by suing the states outright. We have previously seen such purging efforts conducted at the state level, littered with errors and inaccuracies, and inevitably performed in a manner which discriminates against minority voters.”

White House Voter Fraud Commission Letter

“We also have grave concerns that compliance with Mr. Kobach’s letter would result in unprecedented violations of American’s privacy rights and potentially violate federal law.  The breadth of the information requested, including name, address, birth dates, political party affiliation, voting history, Social Security numbers, and military status, among other personal information is not only overwhelming, but chilling from a civil rights and liberties perspective.  In addition to being used to conduct further discriminatory voter purges, one shudders to think of the many ways this information could be misused.” 

CBC Letter to National Association of State Election Directors by Beverly Tran on Scribd

CBC Letter to National Association of Secretaries of State by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

CONYERS Joins Terri Sewell For The Celebration Of The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Glad to join Terri A. Sewell for this celebration of the Birmingham  #CivilRights National Monument.

We must do everything in our power to protect African American history & culture!

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©