United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
Agency overview | |
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Formed | December 9, 1957 |
Jurisdiction | United States government agency |
Headquarters |
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. |
Annual budget | $162 million USD (2015)[1] |
Agency executive |
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Parent department | U.S. Department of Justice |
Website |
usdoj |
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by order of Attorney General William P. Rogers, after the Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the office of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, who has since then headed the division. The head of the Civil Rights Division is an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights (AAG-CR) appointed by the President of the United States. The current Acting AAG-CR is Vanita Gupta.
Assistant Attorney Generals
- denotes head that served as acting Assistant Attorney General
# | Head | Took office | Left office | Party | Administration | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | White, W. WilsonW. Wilson White | 1957 | 1960 | Republican | Dwight D. Eisenhower | [2] |
2 | Tyler, Harold R.Harold R. Tyler | 1960 | 1961 | Republican | Dwight D. Eisenhower | [3] |
3 | Marshall, BurkeBurke Marshall | 1961 | 1965 | Democratic | John F. Kennedy | [3] |
4 | Doar, JohnJohn Doar | 1965 | 1967 | Democratic | Lyndon B. Johnson | [3] |
5 | Pollak, Stephen J.Stephen J. Pollak | 1968 | 1969 | Democratic | Lyndon B. Johnson | [3] |
6 | Leonard, JerrisJerris Leonard | 1969 | 1971 | Republican | Richard Nixon | [3] |
7 | Norman, David LukeDavid Luke Norman | 1971 | 1973 | Republican | Richard Nixon | [3] |
8 | Pottinger, J. StanleyJ. Stanley Pottinger | 1973 | 1977 | Republican | Richard Nixon | [3] |
9 | Days, Drew S.Drew S. Days | 1977 | 1980 | Democratic | Jimmy Carter | [3] |
10 | Reynolds, William BradfordWilliam Bradford Reynolds | 1981 | 1988 | Republican | Ronald Reagan | [3][4] |
– | Lucas, William C.William C. Lucas (acting) | 1988 | 1989 | Republican | Ronald Reagan | |
– | Turner, James P.James P. Turner (acting) | 1989 | 1990 | Republican | Ronald Reagan | |
11 | Dunne, John R.John R. Dunne | 1990 | 1993 | Republican | George H. W. Bush | [3] |
– | Turner, James P.James P. Turner (acting) | 1993 | 1994 | Democratic | Bill Clinton | |
12 | Patrick, DevalDeval Patrick | 1994 | 1997 | Democratic | Bill Clinton | [3] |
13 | Lee, Bill LannBill Lann Lee | 1997 | 2001 | Democratic | Bill Clinton | [5] |
14 | Boyd, Ralph F.Ralph F. Boyd | 2001 | 2003 | Republican | George W. Bush | |
– | Schlozman, BradleyBradley Schlozman (acting) | 2003 | 2003 | Republican | George W. Bush | |
15 | Acosta, R. AlexanderR. Alexander Acosta | 2003 | 2005 | Republican | George W. Bush | |
16 | Kim, Wan J.Wan J. Kim | 2005 | 2007 | Republican | George W. Bush | |
– | Becker, Grace ChungGrace Chung Becker (acting) | 2008 | 2008 | Republican | George W. Bush | |
17 | Perez, ThomasThomas Perez | 2009 | 2013 | Democratic | Barack Obama | [6] |
– | Samuels, JocelynJocelyn Samuels (acting) | 2013 | 2014 | Democratic | Barack Obama | |
– | Moran, Molly J.Molly J. Moran (acting) | 2014 | 2014 | Democratic | Barack Obama | |
– | Gupta, VanitaVanita Gupta (acting) | 2014 | Present | Democratic | Barack Obama | [7] |
Organization
- Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
- Appellate Section
- Coordination and Review Section
- Criminal Section
- Disability Rights Section
- Educational Opportunities Section
- Employment Litigation Section
- Housing and Civil Enforcement Section
- Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices
- Policy & Strategy Section
- Special Litigation Section
- Voting Section
Jurisdiction
The Division enforces
- the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968
- the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended through 2006
- the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974
- the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
- the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009
- the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986
- the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984
- the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980, which authorizes the Attorney General to seek relief for persons confined in public institutions where conditions exist that deprive residents of their constitutional rights
- the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994
- the Police Misconduct Provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
- Section 102 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin and citizenship status as well as document abuse and retaliation under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
In addition, the Division prosecutes actions under several criminal civil rights statutes which were designed to preserve personal liberties and safety.
References
- ↑ 2015 Department of Justice Budget Authority by Appropriation, United States Department of Justice, Accessed 22 December 2015
- ↑ "The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division: A Historical Perspective as the Division Nears 50, Remarks by Wan Kim, Mar. 22, 2006" (PDF).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Turner, James P. (December 14, 1997). "Used and Abused: The Civil Rights Division". Washington Post. p. C01. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ↑ Garcia, Philip J. (November 9, 1988). "Assistant Attorney General William Bradford Reynolds, the Justice Department's Controversial Civil Rights Chief, Resigned Wednesday Effective Dec. 9". United Press International (UPI). Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ↑ Marquis, Christopher (August 4, 2000). "Clinton Sidesteps Senate to Fill Civil Rights Enforcement Job". New York Times. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
- ↑ "Meet the AAG Banner". The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ↑ "Attorney General Holder Announces Vanita Gupta to Serve as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division". The United States Department of Justice. October 15, 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2015.