The White House formally withdrew the nomination of Debo Adegbile to run the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, more than six months after the Democratic-led Senate scuttled his confirmation due to legal work he did with the NAACP decades ago.
The move reflects a shift for the White House, which along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had promised to continue fighting to confirm Adegbile, praising him as an excellent lawyer with the background to lead the important Justice Department division.
Adegbile fell three votes short of advancing in the Senate back in March, losing the support of Democrats like Sens. Chris Coons (DE) and Bob Casey (PA) due to his legal defense of Mumia Abu Jamal, who in 1981 was convicted of killing a police officer in Philadelphia.
Now, with the midterm elections approaching, and Republicans seen as certain to make gains and further imperil his chances of being confirmed, the White House is throwing in the towel. The move clears the way for Obama to nominate someone else to run the DOJ’s civil rights division, potentially before next January when Republicans have a chance to take over the majority.
Sad. Just f**king sad.
What a shame.
He was highly qualified—and working for the ACLU (whose only real client is the US Constitution) should be a positive on his resume, not a reason to withdraw his nomination.
the Trolletariat only like the ACLU when the ACLU is defending Ollie North or thRush Limpballs.
Ridiculous.
“Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and John Walsh (D-MT).”
Meet the 7 Dems who voted against the nomination. Political considerations I guess. Ignorance and race I suspect. Thurgood Marshall worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and became an outstanding jurist.