United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division explained

Agency Name:	United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
Type:	Division
Seal:	File:Seal_of_the_United_States_Department_of_Justice.svg
Jurisdiction:	United States government agency
Headquarters:	Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C., United States
Budget:	$162 million (2015)^[1]
Parent Department:	U.S. Department of Justice
Chief1 Name:	Kristen Clarke
Chief1 Position:	Assistant Attorney General
Chief2 Name:	Pamela S. Karlan
Chief2 Position:	Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General

The Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin.

The division was established on December 9, 1957, by order of Attorney General William P. Rogers, after the Civil Rights Act of 1957 created the head office of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights (AAG-CR; appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate).In 2021, Kristen Clarke became the first woman confirmed to the position.

Organization

• Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
  • Appellate Section
  • Coordination and Review Section
  • Criminal Section
  • Disability Rights Section
  • Educational Opportunities Section
  • Employment Litigation Section
  • Housing and Civil Enforcement Section
  • Immigrant and Employee Rights Section^[2]
  • Policy & Strategy Section
  • Special Litigation Section
  • Voting Section

Jurisdiction

The Division enforces

• the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968
• the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended through 2006
• the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974
• the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
• the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009
• the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986
• the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984
• the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act of 1980, which authorizes the Attorney General to seek relief for persons confined in public institutions where conditions exist that deprive residents of their constitutional rights
• the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994
• the Police Misconduct Provision of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
• the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000
• the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993
• Section 102 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin and citizenship status as well as document abuse and retaliation under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.

In addition, the Division prosecutes actions under several criminal civil rights statutes which were designed to preserve personal liberties and safety.

Assistant Attorneys General

denotes head that served as acting Assistant Attorney General

	Head	Took office	Left office	Party	Administration
1		1957	1960		Republican		^[3]
2		1960	1961		Republican		^[4]
3		1961	1965		Democratic
4		1965	1967		Republican		^[5]
5		1967	1969		Democratic
6		1969	1971		Republican
7		1971	1973		Republican
8		1973	1977		Republican
9		1977	1980		Democratic
10		1981	1988		Republican		^[6]
–	(acting)	1988	1989		Republican
–	(acting)	1989	1990		Republican
11		1990	1993		Republican
–	(acting)	1993	1994		Democratic
12		1994	1997		Democratic
13		1997	2001		Democratic		^[7]
14		2001	2003		Republican
–	(acting)	2003	2003		Republican
15		2003	2005		Republican
16		2005	2007		Republican
–	(acting)	2008	2008		Republican
17		2009	2013		Democratic		^[8]
–	(acting)	2013	2014		Democratic
–	(acting)	2014	2014		Democratic
–	(acting)	2014	2017		Democratic		^[9]
–	(acting)	2017	2017		Republican		^[10]
–	(acting)	2017	2018		Republican		^[11]
18		2018	2021		Republican		^[12]
19	Kristen Clarke	2021	-		Democratic	Joe Biden

Notes and References

1. https://www.justice.gov/jmd/2015summary/pdf/ba.pdf 2015 Department of Justice Budget Authority by Appropriation
2. Web site: Overview Of The Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. 2015-08-06. justice.gov. en. 2019-05-31.
3. Web site: The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division: A Historical Perspective as the Division Nears 50, Remarks by Wan Kim, Mar. 22, 2006.
4. News: Turner. James P.. Used and Abused: The Civil Rights Division. 21 December 2015. Washington Post. December 14, 1997. C01.
5. News: Reed . Roy . 2014-11-11 . John Doar, Federal Lawyer on Front Lines Against Segregation, Dies at 92 . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-10-08 . 0362-4331.
6. News: Garcia. Philip J.. Assistant Attorney General William Bradford Reynolds, the Justice Department's Controversial Civil Rights Chief, Resigned Wednesday Effective Dec. 9. 22 December 2015. United Press International (UPI). November 9, 1988.
7. News: Marquis. Christopher. Clinton Sidesteps Senate to Fill Civil Rights Enforcement Job. 21 December 2015. New York Times. August 4, 2000.
8. Web site: Meet the AAG Banner. The United States Department of Justice. 6 August 2015 . 22 December 2015.
9. Web site: Attorney General Holder Announces Vanita Gupta to Serve as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. The United States Department of Justice. 22 December 2015. October 15, 2014.
10. Web site: Here's Who Is Running The Justice Department Right Now. Tillman. Zoe. 27 January 2017 . BuzzFeed News . January 24, 2017.
11. Web site: United States Department Of Justice Civil Rights Division. 28 July 2017. July 28, 2017.
12. Web site: 2021-01-07. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband Announces Departure from Civil Rights Division. 2021-02-28. www.justice.gov. en.