(Washington, DC – Oct. 11, 2018) Today Sharon McGowan, Lambda Legal Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director, and former senior career Civil Rights Division official, issued the following statement:

Throughout its 60-year history, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has been a stalwart defender of civil rights in employment, education, housing, voting and many other aspects of life. In the face of increased violence and pervasive discrimination against vulnerable groups, including the LGBT community, the work of the Civil Rights Division is more important than ever.

Under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, however, the Department of Justice has not only failed to fulfill its obligation to defend civil rights, but instead has chosen to use its authority to inflict harm by targeting LGBT people, immigrants, people of color, and many others.

What the Department of Justice sorely needs at this moment is a strong leader with a proven track record of defending civil rights. That is not what they got today in Eric Dreiband. It is a sad day for the Civil Rights Division and yet another example of how the Department of Justice is no longer in the business of doing justice.

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More background on Lambda Legal’s opposition to Eric Dreiband’s confirmation can be found here: