been accused of ignoring civil rights violations by whites against minorities. this time, the accusation is reversed. a conservative member of that commission, bush appointee abigail thernstrom dismisses that, but says she would like to hear more about whether the obama administration, particularly the justice department, is meeting out unequal justice. >> now the question on the table, it's morphed into a much larger question. are there racial double standards in the way that civil rights legislation is being enforced in the justice department? well, that's a good question. >> reporter: when asked if julie fernandez made such a statement, they said, quote, the department makes enforcement decisions based on the merits, not the race, gender or ethnicity of any party. we are committed to comprehensive and vigorous enforcement of both the civil and criminal provisions of the