Washington Labor Lawyer Tapped To Be Justice Dept. Civil Rights Chief

FILE - In this May 14, 2013, file photo, the Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington is photographed early in the morning. The Justice Department has signaled that it won’t try to block a lawsuit arising from the CIA’s harsh interrogation techniques, leaving the door open for a court challenge over tactics that have since been discontinued and widely discredited. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)
FILE - In this May 14, 2013, file photo, the Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington is photographed early in the morning. The Drug Enforcement Administration does a poor job overseeing the millions... FILE - In this May 14, 2013, file photo, the Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington is photographed early in the morning. The Drug Enforcement Administration does a poor job overseeing the millions of dollars in payments it distributes to confidential sources, relies on tipsters who operate with minimal oversight or direction and has paid informants who are no longer meant to be used, according to a government watchdog report issued Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. . (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday tapped a Washington labor lawyer known for representing large companies in discrimination lawsuits to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Eric Dreiband’s nomination immediately drew criticism from activists about his commitment to their priorities. The groups have been closely watching how Attorney General Jeff Sessions reshapes the division, which traditionally is subject to the most radical shift in agendas with each change in presidential administration.

Dreiband is part of a steady stream of Jones Day partners flowing into the Trump administration that includes White House counsel Don McGahn. Dreiband did not return a call seeking comment Thursday evening.

Dreiband was part of a team that represented the University of North Carolina in a Justice Department lawsuit over a state law restricting transgender people’s access to public bathrooms.

He defended tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds against age discrimination claims and financial news organization Bloomberg in a pregnancy discrimination case. He represented clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch in a case before the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of a Muslim woman who was not hired after showing up wearing a religious headscarf.

Dreiband served in the office of independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr, whose investigation led to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, and he was the top lawyer at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under President George W. Bush.

The Civil Rights Division handles voting rights, hate crimes, religious discrimination and complaints of rights violations by police, among other duties. Sessions is already shifting away from the Obama administration’s priorities for the division, which included aggressive intervention in local law enforcement and transgender rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union said Dreiband has a “history of restricting civil rights.”

Vanita Gupta, a former ACLU attorney who was head of the Civil Rights Division under President Barack Obama, said Dreiband “has made a name for himself as one of corporate America’s go-to lawyers in an effort to restrict the rights and remedies for discrimination victims.”

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. Fox, henhouse, repeat ad infinitum. It’s the GOP way.

  2. Jones Day partners have a long history in GOP administrations going back to at least Eisenhower. In the past they were more likely to be cabinet members. Oh, and one of them was Anton Scalia–Jones Day was dismissed as private practice in Cleveland rather than as a politically hardwired firm by clueless press.

  3. Most notably, equality advocates are alarmed at Dreiband’s nomination due to his representation of the University of North Carolina after LGBTQ advocates sued over the university’s decision to abide by the state’s controversial HB 2 law.

    This should be fun. And by fun, I mean disastrous.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for buckguy Avatar for coprophagoussmile Avatar for 19tibekius6

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: