Civil Rights Commission Chairman to DOJ: Are You Race-Neutral?

Recent testimony before the the U.S. Civil Rights Commission from a former Justice Department lawyer has “raised serious concerns as to whether the Civil Rights Division’s enforcement policies are being pursued in a race-neutral fashion,” the panel’s chairman wrote in a letter to the head of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Wednesday.

J. Christian Adams, former trial attorney, testifies before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (photo by Channing Turner / Main Justice)

In a letter to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez, Chairman Gerald A. Reynolds highlighted several statements by former DOJ lawyer J. Christian Adams, who testified before the commission last week about the Justice Department’s handling of a voter fraud case against the New Black Panther Party.

During his testimony, Adams stated that Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Julie Fernandes said the Voting Section would not bring cases under Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act — which is sometimes called the “Motor Voter” law and deals with the state’s administration of voter registration.

“We have no interest in enforcing this provision of the law. It has nothing to do with increasing turnout, and we are just not going to do it,” Adams said Fernandes told Voting Section lawyers at a brown bag lunch.

“I was shocked. It was lawlessness,” Adams told the commission.

“If Mr. Adams’ testimony is to be believed, a senior official in the one federal division responsible for enforcing the Motor Voter law announced a policy of non-enforcement with respect to a lawfully-adopted Congressional statute,” wrote Reynolds, a political conservative appointed to the commission by President George W. Bush in 2004. “I sincerely hope you will pursue and investigate these charges.”

In a footnote, Reynolds said that Section 8 “requires state election officials to periodically update their voter rolls—for example, by removing deceased persons and felons from the rolls and updating the information of those who have changed addresses or moved permanently out of the jurisdiction—to ensure their accuracy.”

The Justice Department interprets the statute differently. In a question and answer page about the law updated last month, the DOJ said that the National Voter Registration Act “does not require any particular process for removing persons who have been disqualified from voting pursuant to State law by virtue of being convicted of a crime or being adjudged mentally incompetent.”

According to the website, the law only requires states to make “reasonable efforts” to remove deceased persons from the voting rolls, but it does specify any particular process for doing so.

“States can follow whatever state law process exists for doing this, and there is no federal process to be met,” the website says.

DOJ spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler declined to comment on the letter or on the statements allegedly made by Fernandes, but said the Justice Department makes enforcement decisions based on the merits of the case and not the race, gender or ethnicity of the parties.

“We are committed to comprehensive and vigorous enforcement of both the civil and criminal provisions of the federal laws that prohibit voter intimidation,” Schmaler said. “We continue to work with voters, communities, and local law enforcement to ensure that every American can vote free from intimidation, coercion or threats.”

The letter is embedded below.

1 posted on 07/15/2010 6:16:14 PM PDT by jazusamo

Holder is obviously a racist.

I will believe that statement until such time as Holder prosecutes the New Black Panters for voter intimidation to the fullest extant of the law.

2 posted on 07/15/2010 6:21:05 PM PDT by Ev Reeman

DOJ’s answer: “You are a racist for even asking the question”.

3 posted on 07/15/2010 6:23:04 PM PDT by Question Liberal Authority ("We can't control nature" - Barack Obama, Feb 27, 2010)

It it the DOI now. The Dept of INJUSTICE!

4 posted on 07/15/2010 6:31:56 PM PDT by originalbuckeye

"According to the website, the law only requires states to make “reasonable efforts” to remove deceased persons from the voting rolls, but it does specify NOT any particular process for doing so."

I presume this corrected version is what was intended...

5 posted on 07/15/2010 6:37:46 PM PDT by Redbob (W.W.J.B.D.: "What Would Jack Bauer Do?")

I believe so, from the article:

National Voter Registration Act “does not require any particular process for removing persons

6 posted on 07/15/2010 6:44:35 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)

J. Christian Adams deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for calling attention to the sleazy actions of Barry’s bigot Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder on the other hand deserves the Hypocrite of the Year Prize. I don’t recall any public official attacking the American Public before Holder. His “nation of cowards” statement deserves a pink slip. Barry is just too much of a coward to send him packing.

7 posted on 07/15/2010 6:51:19 PM PDT by purplelobster

To: purplelobster

Amen to that! Adams is speaking out for what is morally and legally right.

8 posted on 07/15/2010 6:56:16 PM PDT by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)

Are You Race-Neutral?

Why, did someone say we were supposed to be?

9 posted on 07/15/2010 7:01:57 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is <strike>fading</strike>gone.)

Gerard Reynolds

In 2004, President George W. Bush designated Mr. Reynolds to serve as chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and in 2002 appointed him assistant secretary of education for the Office for Civil Rights. There, he advised the secretary of education on all legal and policy matters relating to civil rights laws. Mr. Reynolds received his law degree from Boston University School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the American Journal of Law and Medicine. He received his B.A. in history from City University of New York, at York College.

10 posted on 07/15/2010 8:05:42 PM PDT by paudio (Mr. 0bama, focus on Gulf, not Golf.)