By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Kristen Clarke, the president of the Lawyer’s Committee Civil Rights Under Law, will serve as assistant attorney general for civil rights under the new Biden Administration.
Clarke’s appointment adds even more diversity to an incoming administration that has kept its campaign promise to ensure that top staff and cabinet members reflect all of America.
“Our first-rate nominees to lead the Justice Department are eminently qualified, embody character and judgment that is beyond reproach, and have devoted their careers to serving the American people with honor and integrity,” Biden said in a statement.
“They will restore the independence of the department, so it serves the interests of the people, not a presidency, rebuild public trust in the rule of law, and work tirelessly to ensure a more fair and equitable justice system.”
Clarke has extensive civil rights experience, starting her career as an attorney in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
While at the DOJ, the Brooklyn-born attorney served as a federal prosecutor in the Criminal Section Division, responsible for police misconduct, hate crimes, and human trafficking.
Through the Division’s Voting Section, she also worked on voting rights and redistricting cases.
The current president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Clarke has also served as the head of the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, where she successfully led landmark efforts to address discrimination in housing, the school-to-prison pipeline, and reforming practices and policies of police departments.
Clarke previously served at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, focusing on voting rights and election law.
Clarke received her A.B. from Harvard University and her J.D. from Columbia Law School.
