Kristen Clarke, an American attorney has made history as she became the first black female to head the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Senate has confirmed her as the first female head of DOJ Civil Rights Division. Her confirmation came at the right time as the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death came.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the timing of her confirmation is “remarkably nostalgic and suitable.” In a vote of 51-48, the Senate elected Clarke as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine became the single Republican to vote in favor of Clarke’s choice.
Earlier, Clarke commanded the Civil Rights Bureau at the New York attorney general’s office. In 2015, Clarke was also served as the leader of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, during which time the company said it presented more than 250 cases on voting rights, education, hate offenses, and housing, among other areas.
Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the oath of a newly appointed head of DOJ Civil Rights Division, whose office called Clarke “a diligent champion of equal justice” in a comment before the convention. Republicans have opposed her appointment as they accused her of ‘antisemitism.’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also stand against the appointment on the Senate floor. But the Civil rights groups and Democrats have accepted the decision of her appointment.