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Washington, D.C.—Today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on the nomination of District Court nominee Thomas Farr. In response, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued the following statement:

“North Carolina’s long and painful history of voter disenfranchisement has been championed by the likes of Thomas Farr and Jesse Helms,” said Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.  “It would be difficult to identify an attorney in North Carolina whose career is more closely associated with voter suppression and efforts to undermine the voting rights of African Americans and other racial minorities than Farr.  This past election, the Lawyers’ Committee fought efforts to suppress the right to vote throughout the country. Now more than ever, our country deserves nominees who will be truly committed to interpreting the Constitution and federal civil rights laws in a way that recognizes that discrimination is both ongoing and a threat to democracy, and judges who bring a commitment to ensuring equal justice under law for all.  Thomas Farr’s nomination should be rejected by the Senate.”

In January 2018,  the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law delivered a demand letter to the Judiciary Committee formally rejecting Farr’s nomination to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. 

About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination.  Now in its 55th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.

Contact

Derrick Robinson, Lawyers’ Committee, DRobinson@LawyersCommittee.org, 202-662-8317