WASHINGTON, DC — The outgoing Biden Administration’s U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division released its 2021-2024 Civil Rights Division Highlights Report, spotlighting the division’s achievements in enforcing civil rights laws throughout the nation.
The report highlighted civil rights work by the DOJ, which said its staff worked to “bring to justice those who harmed, threatened, and/or intimidated people because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, English proficiency or disability status.”
The report underscored the division’s efforts in upholding “fairness and accountability” in the criminal justice system, including ensuring fair policing that uphold constitutional rights, holding law enforcement accountable, and addressing unconstitutional conditions in correctional facilities.
The report also emphasized the Civil Rights Division’s work the past few years in striving for equal access and opportunity in education, the workplace, access to housing and health care, improving language access, preventing religious discrimination, as well as protecting people with disabilities.
At the beginning of the report, the Biden Administration’s Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “Our Civil Rights Division has doggedly pursued justice for our nation’s most vulnerable through enforcement of our civil rights laws.”
Clarke added the DOJ combatted “hate and exploitation,” through its work, “promoting fairness and accountability in our criminal justice system, strengthening democracy, and expanding and ensuring opportunity and access for all.
“I am incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts of our career employees who have steadfastly abided by (since replaced Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s charge to uphold the rule of law, protect civil rights and keep our country and communities safe. I am indebted to our communities and advocates who bravely asserted their rights and shared their stories in our common pursuit of justice and fairness.”
