Kristen Clarke has become the first Black woman to head the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Clarke, a longtime civil rights lawyer, to lead the office. The Senate approved her nomination by a 51-48 vote. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the only Republican to vote for Clarke.
Democrats in the Senate noted that Clarke’s two decades of experience as a civil rights attorney made her highly qualified to lead the unit. The 46-year-old will be tasked with helping the Biden administration to enforce civil rights laws and investigate civil rights violations committed by police forces. The division currently houses over 350 attorneys.
“Throughout her career, Clarke has been an unwavering ally to the most vulnerable amongst us, upholding and protecting the civil rights of every American. I am thrilled to have supported her historic nomination and look forward to working with her to strengthen our democracy,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) stated.
After graduating from Columbia Law School, Clarke worked mainly in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department from 2000 to 2006. She served as a counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and chief of the civil rights bureau in the New York Attorney General’s Office. Just prior to her new position, she served as president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, where she aggressively aimed at the Trump administration policies and appointees.
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