DOJ Inspector General to Review Voting Section Practices

Washington, D.C. -- In a letter today to House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar (R-Texas) and Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Virginia), Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine announced that he will conduct a review of the Voting Section’s enforcement of civil rights laws to ensure they are enforced in a non-discriminatory manner. 

Specifically, the IG’s review will “examine, among other things, the types of cases brought by the Voting Section and any changes in these types of cases over time; any changes in Voting Section enforcement policies or procedures over time; whether the Voting Section has enforced the civil rights laws in a non-discriminatory manner; and whether any Voting Section employees have been harassed for participating in the investigation or prosecution of particular matters.”

Ranking Member Smith issued the following statement regarding today’s announcement:  “I am pleased that the Justice Department’s independent watchdog has decided to take up a review of possible discriminatory practices by attorneys in the Civil Rights Division. Recent allegations of politicization within the Justice Department raise serious concerns.  In order to preserve equality under the law, we must ensure that the Justice Department enforces the law without prejudice. I look forward to seeing the results of Inspector General Fine’s review of this matter.”

In July, former career Department of Justice attorney J. Christian Adams testified under oath before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandes, an Obama administration appointee, instructed Voting Section attorneys that “cases are not going to be brought against black defendants [for] the benefit of white victims,” and “that if somebody wanted to bring these cases that was up to the U.S. Attorney, but the Civil Rights Division wasn’t going to be bringing [them].”