Kristen Clarke confirmed to lead DOJ's Civil Rights Division


With a vote of 51-48, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed Kristen Clarke to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
Clarke, a civil rights attorney, is the first Black woman to lead the division, which enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, and disability. During her confirmation hearing, Clarke said she would make voting rights a priority.
With Clarke at the helm, the Civil Rights Division will help lead the Justice Department's pattern-or-practice investigations of the police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Clarke's confirmation coming on the anniversary of George Floyd's murder "is particularly poignant and appropriate."
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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.
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