NAACP stages sit-in to protest Trump's attorney general pick


Civil rights activists staged several protests on Tuesday against the nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) as the next attorney general.
At Sessions' office in Mobile, Cornell Williams Brooks, the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and several other NAACP leaders staged a sit-in, with Brooks announcing on Twitter they were staying "until he withdraws as AG nominee or we're arrested." At about 7:30 p.m. ET, Brooks tweeted that "the building manager has requested that we leave. And the police have just arrived. We are about to be arrested."
In 1986, as a federal prosecutor, Sessions became the second nominee in 50 years to be denied confirmation as a federal judge; Sessions was accused of making racist remarks, and he claimed he was only joking when he said he "used to think they [the KKK] were okay" until he discovered some were "pot smokers." Sessions denied making any racist comments, and said the actions of the NAACP and American Civil Liberties Union could be considered "un-American."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The conservative Sessions was one of the first people to endorse Donald Trump, and his spokeswoman said in a statement that Sessions "has dedicated his career to upholding the rule of law, ensuring public safety, and prosecuting government corruption." Tuesday was an especially rough day for Sessions — in addition to the NAACP protests, more than 1,100 law professors from schools in 48 states signed a letter urging the Senate not to confirm him when hearings start on Jan. 10.
UPDATE: The NAACP tweeted Tuesday night that Brooks and NAACP National Youth and College Director Stephen A. Green have been arrested.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
One great cookbook: ‘The Woks of Life’
The Week Recommends A family’s opinionated, reliable take on all kinds of Chinese cooking
-
Digital addiction: the compulsion to stay online
In depth What it is and how to stop it
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?
Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies