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☆ Exclusive: DOJ civil rights leader says she was a victim of abuse in extraordinary statement
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The leader of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, Kristen Clarke, said in an extraordinary personal statement shared with CNN that she was a victim of years-long domestic abuse and chose not to disclose an expunged arrest record from that period during the Senate confirmation process. “Nearly 2 decades ago, I was subjected to years-long abuse and domestic violence at the hands of my ex-husband,” Clarke wrote in the statement on Wednesday. “This was a terrorizing and traumatizing period that I have sought to put behind me to promote my personal health, healing and well-being. “When given the option to speak about such traumatic incidents in my life, I have chosen not to,” Clarke wrote. Clarke said she has brought her “personal experience and perspective of being a survivor of domestic violence” to her work.

Persons: Kristen Clarke, “, ” Clarke, Republican Sen, Tom Cotton, Clarke, ” Sen, Mike Lee, ”, CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, Justice, Republican, The Daily, Utah Republican Locations: Utah

The case heads to court separately from another federal lawsuit filed in October by LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates over the aggravated prostitution law. The Republican-carried legislation would only remove the requirement that those convicted of aggravated prostitution must register as a violent sex offender. Court documents in the other federal lawsuit say that more than 80 people are registered for aggravated prostitution in Tennessee. Because she had to register as a sex offender, the woman has experienced periods of homelessness while struggling to find safe housing compliant with sex-registry requirements. Tennessee law also bars her from changing her legal name to match her gender identity, the lawsuit states.

Persons: ”, Kristen Clarke, general's Organizations: U.S . Justice, Justice Department, Republican, Justice Department’s Civil Rights, for Disease Control, The Justice Department Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, United States, Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia, Shelby County, Memphis

☆ Justice Department settlement concludes Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed state employees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Justice Department concluded Friday that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed state employees, supporting the findings of a previous state civil review of allegations against the former governor. The department reached an agreement with the New York State Executive Chamber resolving the claims of sexual harassment and retaliation against the Democratic former governor, according to a release from the Justice Department on Friday. “Governor Cuomo repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual sexual contact; ogling; unwelcome sexual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances,” the Justice Department found. In August 2021, the New York attorney general’s office found that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women and created a “hostile” work environment for women.

Persons: Andrew Cuomo, Cuomo, Letitia James ’, Governor Cuomo, Cuomo’s, “, Rita Glavin, Cuomo “, NYS Attorney General’s, ” Rich Azzopardi, Department’s, Mariann Wang, ”, ” Wang, Debra Katz, Charlotte Bennett, Kathy Hochul, Hochul, Kristen Clarke Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, New York Gov, New York, Chamber, Democratic, Justice Department, New, Justice, NYS Attorney Locations: New York

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's decades-old aggravated prostitution statute violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday after an investigation, warning that the state could face a lawsuit if officials don't immediately cease enforcement. LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates have long criticized the measure as discriminatory, making it almost impossible to find housing and employment due to the restrictions for violent sex offenders. The DOJ letter details several of the struggles of those with aggravated prostitution convictions. A lifetime sex offender registration can stop people from visiting with their grandchildren, revoke job offers, and severely limit housing options. Plaintiffs who had filed a lawsuit seeking to block the aggravated prostitution law in October said the DOJ's letter only further supports their efforts.

Persons: —, ”, Bill Lee, “, Kristen Clarke, Jonathan Skrmetti, David Rausch, Steven Mulroy, it's, Mulroy, ” Brandon James Smith, Skrmetti, “ OUTMemphis, Molly Quinn, OUTMemphis, Adrian Sainz Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, American Civil Liberties Union, Transgender Law Center, Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, of, DOJ, Associated Press Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, United States, Shelby County, Memphis, Memphis , Tennessee

(AP) — The U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation Wednesday into alleged civil rights violations by police in a majority Black Mississippi city, stepping in following accusations that officers used excessive force and arrested people without justification. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department's civil rights division, announced the investigation at a news conference. The area also has a storied place in civil rights history. It also follows the June arrest of Jill Collen Jefferson, the president of JULIAN, the civil rights organization that filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of residents. If the Justice Department concludes that police officers committed the alleged civil rights violations, it could bring a lawsuit seeking court-ordered changes to the department.

Persons: JACKSON, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, ” Clarke, Robert Clark, Todd Gee, Jill Collen Jefferson, JULIAN, Sam Dobbins, Dobbins, Jefferson, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, “, Mississippi Legislature, Southern, Southern District of, Lexington Police Department, Lexington Police, Lexington, Department, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Black Mississippi, Lexington, Jackson, Holmes County, Mississippi, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Rankin County , Mississippi, @mikergoldberg

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans. Garland has prioritized civil rights prosecutions since becoming attorney general in 2021, and the current administration has put a higher priority on redlining cases than before. The anti-redlining effort has now secured $107 million in relief, including the Ameris settlement, which a judge must approve. A $31 million settlement with Los Angeles-based City National in January was the largest for the department. The Ameris case is the first brought by the department in Florida, said Roger Handberg, the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

Persons: Biden, General Merrick Garland, “ Redlining, ” Garland, Garland, redlining, Roger Handberg, ”, Kristen Clarke, Ken Sweet Organizations: WASHINGTON, Justice, Ameris Bank, Ameris, National, Middle, Middle District of, ___ Associated Press Locations: Black, Jacksonville , Florida, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Homeownership, Los Angeles, Florida, U.S, Middle District, Middle District of Florida, ”, ___, New York

The United States Justice Department began an investigation on Tuesday into the city of Trenton, N.J., and its police department after getting “serious and credible” reports of officers using improper levels of force and illegally stopping and searching pedestrians and drivers. The inquiry into New Jersey’s capital city and its police force is expected to take a year and could lead to federal oversight of the department through a consent decree. The review will include on-the-job observation of police officers, interviews with residents and an analysis of police records, including footage from body-worn cameras and internal affairs investigations, officials said. Since 2021, the Justice Department has opened similar inquiries into 10 other police agencies across the country, said Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general with the department’s civil rights division.

Persons: Kristen Clarke Organizations: United States Justice Department, Justice Department Locations: Trenton , N.J, New

☆ Tens of thousands expected for March on Washington’s 60th anniversary demonstration
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Martin Luther King III, along with his wife, Arndrea Waters King, and their 15-year-old daughter, Yolanda, have developed a set of traditions for this time of the year. The original march, which featured their father as a centerpiece, helped till the ground for passage of federal civil rights and voting rights legislation in the 1960s. "What we know is when people stand up, the difference can be made," Martin Luther King III told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of Saturday. Twenty three years ago, she introduced Sharpton and Martin Luther King III at a 37th anniversary march and urged them to carry on the legacy. And the voting rights marches from Montgomery to Selma, Alabama, in which marchers were brutally beaten while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in what became known as "Bloody Sunday," forced Congress to adopt the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Persons: Martin Luther King, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters, Yolanda, Martin Luther King Jr, Arndrea, Kings ', Bernice King, We've, Bernice, Jr, Andrew Young, King, U.N, General Merrick Garland, Kristen Clarke, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden, Al Sharpton, Coretta Scott King, Sharpton, Martin, we've, Edmund Pettus, there's, didn't Organizations: Washington, Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, Jobs, Kings, Major Institute, National Action, Supreme, Associated Press, NAACP, National Urban League, White, National Action Network, Nonviolent, Vigilance, Baptist, Civil Locations: Washington, Atlanta, Birmingham , Alabama, Neshoba County , Mississippi, Montgomery, Selma , Alabama

☆ US sues SpaceX, alleges hiring discrimination against asylum recipients, refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department sued Elon Musk-owned rocket and satellite company SpaceX on Thursday for allegedly discriminating against asylum recipients and refugees in hiring. The Justice Department also pointed to online posts from the company's billionaire owner Musk as example of "discriminatory public statements." Musk described the Justice Department lawsuit against SpaceX as "weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes." Clarke also said SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials "actively discouraged" asylum recipients and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company. The United States seeks fair consideration and back pay for asylum recipients and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX due to the alleged discrimination, the Justice Department said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Elon, Musk, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, Kanishka Singh, David Shepardson, Chandni Shah, Paul Grant, Susan Heavey, Frances Kerry, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: SpaceX, Elon, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Justice Department, Elon Musk, Justice Department, The Justice, Justice, DOJ, United, Thomson Locations: United States, Washington

☆ DOJ sues SpaceX, alleging hiring discrimination against refugees and asylum seekers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Falcon 9 rocket is displayed outside the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) headquarters on January 28, 2021 in Hawthorne, California. The U.S. Department of Justice sued SpaceX on Thursday, alleging Elon Musk's space company discriminated against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring practices. The lawsuit says between 2018 and 2022, SpaceX "wrongly claimed" that export control laws limited its hiring to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. The DOJ has been investigating SpaceX since June 2020, when the department's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section received a complaint of employment discrimination from a non-U.S. citizen. Fabian Hutter, whose complaint about SpaceX led the DOJ to open its discrimination probe, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

Persons: SpaceX, Elon, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, asylees, IER, Fabian Hutter, Hutter Organizations: Space Exploration Technologies Corp, SpaceX, The U.S . Department of Justice, DOJ, Civil Rights Division, CNBC Locations: Hawthorne , California, The, U.S, Austria, Canada

☆ DOJ sues SpaceX alleging hiring discrimination against refugees and asylum recipients
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Department of Justice sued SpaceX on Thursday, alleging Elon Musk's space company discriminated in its hiring practices against refugees and people granted asylum in the U.S. The lawsuit says between 2018 and 2022, SpaceX "wrongly claimed" that export control laws limited its hiring to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Clarke added that the DOJ's investigation found "SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company." That lone hire came about four months after the DOJ notified SpaceX of its investigation. Read the DOJ's lawsuit below:

Persons: SpaceX, Elon, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, asylees, IER, Fabian Hutter, Hutter Organizations: Space Exploration Technologies Corp, SpaceX, The U.S . Department of Justice, U.S, DOJ, Civil Rights Division, Immigration, CNBC Locations: Hawthorne , California, The, U.S, Austria, Canada

"SpaceX's discriminatory hiring practices were routine, widespread, and longstanding, and harmed asylees and refugees," Justice Department lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Export control laws and regulations do not prohibit or restrict employers from hiring asylees and refugees; those laws treat asylees and refugees just like U.S. citizens," the lawsuit says. The Justice Department's civil rights division, which brought the lawsuit, informed SpaceX in 2020 that it had initiated its investigation. SpaceX initially refused to hand over employment records and fought a Justice Department subpoena in court. "SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company," Clarke said.

Persons: Elon Musk, asylees, Musk, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, SpaceX didn't, Tesla Organizations: SpaceX, Elon Musk's, Service, Justice, Defense, State, Justice Department, Twitter Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Live updates: Trump indictment news in the Georgia election interference case
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Shawna Mizelle | Maureen Chowdhury | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Even by the standards of local jails, the Fulton County jail on Rice Street has a reputation for troubled conditions for inmates. Last month, the US Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation into living conditions, access to health care, violence against detainees and possible discrimination against those with psychiatric disabilities. But the treatment that defendants receive when being booked and processed on criminal charges in Fulton County varies drastically, case by case. Trump is expected to turn himself in Thursday or Friday, according to a senior law enforcement official. Custody at Fulton County jail: The Justice Department last month launched a civil rights investigation into the jail which has been the site of multiple deaths on the premises.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, ” Chris Timmons, Knowles Gallant Timmons, haven’t, ”, Fani Willis, Willis, Georgia’s, Kristen Clarke, LaShawn Thompson, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat Organizations: US Justice Department, CNN, United, Service, Fulton, Department, Fulton County Sheriff Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta, United States, Fulton

Even by the standards of local jails, the Fulton County jail on Rice Street has a reputation for especially deplorable conditions for inmates. A look inside a cell at the Fulton County Jail in 2013. CNNBut the treatment that defendants receive when being booked and processed on criminal charges in Fulton County varies drastically, case by case. “It could be 15 minutes total to get them in and out.”A look inside a cell at the Fulton County Jail in 2013. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, "The manner and cause of death was listed as undetermined by the county medical examiner.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, ” Chris Timmons, Knowles Gallant Timmons, haven’t, ”, Fani Willis, Willis, Georgia’s, ‘ We’ve, –, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, ” Labat, We’ve, Defendants, it’s, ” Timmons, Scott McAfee, won’t, McAfee, Gerald Griggs, Griggs, ” Griggs, Kristen Clarke, LaShawn Thompson, ” Clarke, Thompson’s, Michael Harper, Lashawn Thompson, Harper, Labat Organizations: CNN, US Justice Department, United, Service, Fulton, Trump, Fulton County Sheriff, Georgia NAACP, Department, Jail, Sheriff's Locations: Fulton County, Fulton, Atlanta, United States, Georgia

☆ Biden is giving colleges tips on rethinking legacy admissions after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions at the end of June. The Education and Justice Departments released new guidance for colleges in the ruling's aftermath. They said colleges can reconsider how they use legacy preference in admissions. On Monday, President Joe Biden's Education and Justice Departments released new guidance to schools in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision at the end of July that struck down affirmative action in college admissions. Following the affirmative action decision, legacy preference in college admissions entered a harsh spotlight.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Merrick Garland, Kristen Clarke, Catherine Lhamon, Cardona Organizations: Justice, Service, Joe Biden's Education, Civil, Education Department, Harvard University, Community Economic, Greater Boston, Network, Harvard, Wesleyan, Occidental Locations: Wall, Silicon, New England

☆ Tasers, taunts, torment: What we know about the hours of horror 2 Black men suffered at the hands of a self-described 'Goon Squad'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Emma Tucker | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Dedmon, Opdyke and Elward broke open the carport door and Hartfield kicked open the back door. Entering the home without a warrant, the officers encountered two Black men: Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins. The abuse continued in a bedroom, where Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon and McAlpin assaulted Parker with pieces of wood and a metal sword. Dedmon, Middleton, Hartfield and Elward then began to tase the two men repeatedly to see “which (Taser) was the most powerful,” the document said. Attorneys for Middleton, Elward and Hartfield declined to comment on the case.

Persons: Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Brett McAlpin, White, Dedmon, ” Dedmon, Joshua Hartfield, McAlpin, Jerome DeLoach, Elward, Hartfield, Eddie Parker, Michael Jenkins, Parker, Jenkins, —, Mary Helen Wall, Kristen Clarke, tased, Brett McAlpin Forrest, Jenkins –, Opdyke, defecated, Jeffrey Middleton Jerome DeLoach, Elward’s Taser, Middleton, Daniel Opdyke Jerome DeLoach, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, CNN Parker, Sheriff Bailey, Joshua Hartfield orrest, “, ”, Jeffery Reynolds, Bailey, CNN’s Ryan Young, ” Parker, “ You’re, ” Jenkins, he’s, I’m Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Adult Detention, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Department of Public, Rankin, Detention, Mississippi Attorney General’s, Dedmon Locations: Rankin County , Mississippi, Braxton, Jackson, Mississippi, Rankin County, Black, Opdyke, Middleton, Dedmon, Hartfield, McAlpin, Elward

☆ Justice Dept. Opens Civil Rights Investigation of Memphis Police
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Rick Rojas | More About Rick Rojas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department said on Thursday that it had begun a sweeping civil rights investigation into policing in Memphis, examining allegations of pervasive problems with excessive force and unlawful stops of Black residents that were amplified by the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in January. In announcing the investigation, officials specifically cited the death of Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, whose beating by Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023, was captured by body camera and surveillance footage. The case stoked outrage across the country and directed intense scrutiny onto how the Memphis Police Department operates. The investigation, officials said, intends to explore those broader concerns and whether there has been a pattern or practice of violating civil rights. Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said on Thursday that though Mr. Nichols’s death was a factor in the investigation, the inquiry was “not based on a single incident or event.”

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Kristen Clarke, Nichols’s, ” Organizations: Memphis, Memphis Police Department, Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Locations: Memphis, Minneapolis, Louisville, Ky

☆ U.S. Justice Department investigating Memphis police for civil rights violations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into whether the Memphis Police Department has an unconstitutional "pattern or practice" of using excessive force and racial discrimination, department officials announced on Thursday. Earlier this year, the Justice Department agreed to join city officials and other agencies in a review of the Memphis Police Department after its officers fatally beat Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, in the Tennessee city in January. The federal investigation announced on Thursday is not tied to any specific incident, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said at a press conference, though she noted Nichols' "tragic death" in her remarks. "City and police department leaders recognize the need to scrutinize the police department's practices to prevent such incidents from ever happening again," Clarke said. Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, Kristen Clarke, Nichols, Clarke, Jonathan Allen, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice's Civil, Memphis Police Department, Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Tennessee, New York

☆ Justice Dept. to Investigate Georgia Jail Where Inmate Died Covered in Lice
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Linda Qiu | More About Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department said on Thursday that it was investigating the conditions at a jail in Fulton County, Ga., citing reports of violence, deteriorating surroundings and the death last year of an inmate who was covered in lice and feces. The civil investigation, part of a broader effort by the department to scrutinize conditions at jails and prisons across the country, will also examine whether officers used excessive force, the availability of medical care and the treatment of mentally ill prisoners. “Detention or incarceration in jail should not include exposure to unconstitutional living conditions that place lives in jeopardy or risk of serious harm from assaults,” Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general who leads the agency’s civil rights division, said in announcing the investigation. “Jail facilities must provide constitutional and humane conditions, in which all people can live safely while they go through the criminal process.”The Fulton County government and sheriff’s office said in a joint statement that they planned to cooperate fully.

Persons: ” Kristen Clarke Organizations: “ Locations: Fulton County ,, Fulton

☆ US Justice Department launches civil rights probe into 'deeply concerning' Atlanta-area jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Us Justice Department FollowWASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday launched a civil rights probe into conditions at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, Georgia that will examine whether the facility is discriminating against incarcerated people with mental illnesses, a top department official said on Thursday. "The Fulton County Sheriff has acknowledged that the main jail is dilapidated and rapidly eroding," Clarke said. "The level of violence in the jails is deeply concerning, and at one point in 2022, the jails averaged more than one stabbing per day." A medical examiner hired by his family earlier this year determined that Thompson died of complications from severe neglect to both his mental and physical health. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kristen Clarke, Clarke, Lashawn Thompson, Thompson’s, Thompson, Sarah N, Lynch, Chizu Nomiyama, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Department Follow WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, Civil Rights, Fulton County Sheriff, Thomson Locations: Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Somehow 32 school districts in Mississippi are still under federal orders to desegregate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Michael Goldberg | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But 69 years later, 32 school districts in Mississippi are still under federal desegregation orders. (AP) — There are 32 school districts in Mississippi still under federal desegregation orders, the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division's assistant attorney general said Thursday. "In our ongoing efforts to fulfill the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education, we currently have 32 open cases with school districts here in Mississippi," Clarke said. In addition to school districts, Clarke said at least five Mississippi jails and prisons have come under federal scrutiny. Clarke declined to offer more details about the case, citing an ongoing federal civil rights investigation.

Persons: Brown, —, Kristen Clarke, Clarke, Rogelio V, Solis Mississippi, Michael Corey Jenkins, Jill Collen Jefferson, JULIAN, Bonita Streeter, Mitzi Dease Paige, Solis, Jefferson Organizations: Service, US Department of Justice's, US Department of Justice's Civil Rights, Justice Department, of Education, Holmes, Community, Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, AP, The Justice Department, Mississippi Delta, Penitentiary, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Correctional, Sheriff's Deputies, Southern, Southern District of, Solis An Associated Press, Lexington Police Department, The, Department, FBI Locations: Mississippi, LEXINGTON, Miss, Lexington, Jackson, Parchman, Wilkinson, Hinds, Rankin, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Solis An

☆ A DoJ official said forced labor was 'heinous conduct' after a Louisiana man was jailed for making minors bake and sell brownies 7 days a week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Louisiana man was jailed for forcing minors to work long hours baking and selling brownies. The Department of Justice said Friday that Darnell Fulton was sentenced to 35 years in prison. A DoJ official said forced labor was "heinous conduct" and would not be tolerated. He was jailed Friday for 35 years for crimes including conspiracy to commit forced labor. "This sentence demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to standing up for the survivors of forced labor schemes.

☆ Alabama Discriminated Against Black Residents Over Sewage, Justice Dept. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department said it had reached an interim agreement with the health departments of Alabama and one of its rural counties over practices found to discriminate against generations of Black residents. Under the agreement announced Thursday, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes County Health Department said they would improve wastewater infrastructure, measure the health risks associated with raw sewage exposure, and stop penalizing residents who cannot afford adequate treatment systems. The agreement represents “a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Ala., who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long,” said Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division. Catherine Coleman Flowers, an environmental activist who grew up in Lowndes, said that residents of the county, like those in many other rural communities, use wastewater systems installed on the grounds of homes and businesses rather than a centralized sewage treatment plant operated by a local government. But the county stood alone in penalizing residents for sanitation issues that were outside their control, she added.

The Justice Department’s April 20 letter includes guidance for state and local police, prosecutors, judges and probation officers. Joanna Weiss, co-director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, told me that the DOJ's voice is critical on these issues. The earlier memo included a section that laid out the principle that courts must not use bail practices that incarcerate people solely because they can’t afford a fee. The Justice Department didn't address my specific questions about why the section on bail was nixed. Lauren Jones, legal director at the National Center for Access to Justice, told me that there's clear overlap between cash bail practices and justice system fees.

☆ DOJ sues Tennessee, alleging it discriminates against transgender youth with new law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Activists for transgender rights gather in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on April 1, 2023. The Department of Justice is suing Tennessee for allegedly discriminating against transgender youth with a new state law banning the use of puberty blockers, hormones, and other medical procedures that affirm a child's gender identity. The DOJ asked the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee on Wednesday to declare that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and to prohibit state authorities from implementing the statute. The lawsuit originally was filed April 20 by the parents of transgender children in Tennessee who are undergoing gender-affirming care. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado must respond to the suit by May 8.

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