The Equal Justice Society joined nearly 150 national civil rights and progressive groups in a joint announcement today opposing the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to lead the Justice Department.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which spearheaded the letter, and members of the coalition, delivered letters to every member of the Senate today and hosted a press conference outside of the Supreme Court to outline their lengthy list of concerns about Senator Sessions’ record of hostility toward civil rights.
“Senator Sessions has a 30-year record of racial insensitivity, bias against immigrants, disregard for the rule of law, and hostility to the protection of civil rights that makes him unfit to serve as the Attorney General of the United States,” according to the letter being distributed today, which was signed by 144 organizations.
“In our democracy, the Attorney General is charged with enforcing our nation’s laws without prejudice and with an eye toward justice. And, just as important, the Attorney General has to be seen by the public – every member of the public, from every community – as a fair arbiter of justice. Unfortunately, there is little in Senator Sessions’ record that demonstrates that he would meet such a standard.”
The groups’ firm opposition is rooted in Senator Sessions’ 30-year record in the Senate, as Alabama Attorney General, and as a U.S. Attorney, which is filled with derogatory remarks about minorities, associations with hate groups, and an established opposition to protections for people with disabilities, immigrants, African Americans, low-income students, women, and the LGBT community.
“At a time when the nation wants a change from politics as usual, Jeff Sessions is a throwback to a time when America was not great for any of these communities,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which spearheaded the letter. “President-elect Trump promised to ‘drain the swamp’ and govern for all Americans—and the Sessions nomination makes crystal clear that he has no intention of doing either.”