Civil Rights Lawyer Kristen Clarke Nominated By President-Elect Joe Biden For Senior Role at DOJ

It’s a new kind of White House staff!

President-elect Joe Biden just nominated civil rights lawyer Kristen Clarke to serve in a senior role at the Department of Justice (DOJ), The Grio reports.

Clarke got her start with the DOJ, working in the Civil Rights Division as a federal prosecutor overseeing police misconduct cases, hate crimes, and human trafficking. During her time, she also focused on voting rights and redistricting, eventually taking those skills to assist at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Since then, Clarke has served as president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee). Now, she has been nominated by Biden to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ.

The daughter of Jamaican immigrants and mother of a teenage son, Clarke is a stalwart for justice reform and an advocate for Black Lives Matter. In her new role, the Harvard grad would be responsible for “ensuring civil liberties for all Americans.”

“This job is about justice. It’s about equality. And under our DOJ, we’ll move closer to the TRUE meaning of equal justice under law. Honored to be nominated by @JoeBiden to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division,” Clarke tweeted. 

During the press conference announcing her nomination, Clarke joined Biden and several other DOJ nominees, including Merrick Garland, Attorney General nominee, Deputy Attorney General nominee Lisa Monaco and Associate Attorney General nominee Vanita Gupta. 

“I want to be clear to those who lead this department who you will serve. You won’t work for me. You are not the president or the vice-president’s lawyer. Your loyalty is not to me. It’s to the law, the Constitution, the people of this nation, to guarantee justice,” Biden said.

Clarke echoed his sentiments, saying, “The clarion call of equal justice under law is what binds us together as a nation.”

Congratulations, Kristen!

Photo Courtesy of the Lawyers’ Committee