Senate Narrowly Confirms Controversial Justice Department Pick

(Washington, DC) — Veteran civil rights attorney Kristen Clarke is headed to the Justice Department as assistant attorney general. She encountered stiff Republican opposition and was narrowly confirmed by the Senate on a vote of 51-48. Maine Republican Susan Collins voted yes. Clarke is the first woman and the first woman of color to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Clarke “hugely accomplished.” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell accused Clarke of being on the “far-left fringe of the political spectrum.”

Kristen Clarke

Clarke is a former Executive Director of  The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.