By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden s nominees to lead the Justice Department s civil rights and environmental units are due to face questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday on how they would address racial inequities in policing and climate change.
Kristen Clarke, a former Justice Department civil rights attorney who recently led the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is Biden s nominee to serve as assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.
Todd Kim - a former department attorney, former solicitor general for the District of Columbia and onetime contestant on a spinoff of the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - is the administration s pick for assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
DOJ nominee Kristen Clarke defends record to senators as supporters say civil rights chief is badly needed ktvz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ktvz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kristen Clarke, whose nomination to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice has drawn controvsersy because of her prior actions around race and antisemitism, assured members of Congress on Wednesday that she would protect religious rights and fight against religious discrimination and antisemitism if she is confirmed.
“I will give great attention to ensuring that we stand up for religious liberty, and beat back religious discrimination using the laws that the division has at its disposal,” Clarke told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee at her confirmation hearing.
Last month, Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, drew attention to past comments made by Clarke – which were recently featured on conservative news websites – about racial superiority and highlighted her role in organizing a 1994 event while at Harvard University that featured antisemitic comments by a controversial professor.
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Housing advocates including former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti joined state Rep. La Shawn Ford and state Sen. Karina Villa Tuesday to call for support for a measure aimed at supporting low-income renters.
House Bill 2775 and Senate Bill 2492 are a pair of identical bills which aim to create additional legal defenses for renters and protections against discrimination based on source of income, as well as preventing undue administrative burdens when applying for housing assistance.
Sanguinetti, a Republican who served with former Gov. Bruce Rauner, is now executive director for HOPE Fair Housing Center in Wheaton. She said the bills would begin to “move the needle” on fair housing and civil rights issues in the state.
The Racist Attacks Against Kristen Clarke End Now The Senate Must Confirm Her newsweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.