William Barr
Search results
Jul 14, 2020 · Racism defined Sessions’ entire career, but racism is not what ended it. In fact, it was Trump’s patronage that put Sessions and the white grievance he long embodied at the center of...
- Pema Levy
Dec 2, 2016 · Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, has drawn much criticism due to racially charged comments he made when he was a U.S. attorney in...
- Michelle Ye Hee Lee
- U.S. Senator (R-Ala.)
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sessions defended unsuccessful circuit court nominee Charles W. Pickering against allegations of racism, saying he was "a leader for racial harmony". Sessions rejected criticisms of successful circuit court nominee Dennis Shedd 's record, saying he "should have been commended for the rulings he has ...
Nov 18, 2016 · A former colleague who testified in the hearing said he found it ironic that Sessions was being painted as racist for comments that came out while he was literally helping to take on the Klan.
- Bias in Policing: Communities vs. Law Enforcement
- Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Rights Issues
- Voting Rights and Voter ID
- Prosecuting and Investigating Other Civil Rights Cases
- Affirmative Action
- Immigration
- Race
- Other Forms of Discrimination
During an August 2001 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was looking at legislation to penalize police departments that continue to make traffic and other stops based on race, Sessions acknowledged bias in policing. “I think it is likely that within every department there are some officers who subtly, if not otherwise, are biased in t...
In June 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, Sessions issued a statement saying the nation’s highest court had “redefined a sacred and ancient institution.” “It is not an act of courage but supreme arrogance to pretend that the wisdom of five judges is greater than all the men and women who ...
“I do believe we have voter fraud in America,” Sessions told former Attorney General Eric Holder during a June 2012 hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “And if you do not have voter ID, I would observe that somebody can walk in to a voting place where they know there is a registered person on the rolls who was not a citizen, not alive or in ...
It’s unclear exactly what types of cases Sessions would seek to prioritize in his civil rights division. But the cases he has chosen to support may offer some insight. While U.S. Attorney in Alabama, Sessions prosecuted members of the Ku Klux Klan who killed Michael Donald, a young black man, and hung his body from a tree in 1981. One of them was s...
In 1997, Sessions told the Senate Judiciary Committee affirmative action was a “very, very difficult subject." "We certainly want to reach out and make sure that every minority individual has full chances and rights in America. But when we make that a part of a legal requirement of this nation, that the benefits and privileges of belonging to each ...
In 2013, Sessions stood by his push for legislation that would make all government services only in English. "I think that is good policy," Session told ABC News in 2013. "We want Americans who come here lawfully to be able to operate in the English language. ... I do believe English should be the common language and it helps immigrants to effectiv...
Sessions has sponsored legislation on several occasions to recognize and honor the contributions made to America by Rosa Parks, whom he said “sparked the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a bus.” In 1999, he co-sponsored a Senate bill to award Parks with the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's top civilian awar...
During an April 2010 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sessions weighed in on housing discrimination. “I'm a strong believer that many people are discriminated against and unfairly handled with regard to big items like homes and end up paying a lot more interest, and they may not have realized, as you said, just how significant that is...
- 3 min
- ABC News
Jan 9, 2017 · January 9, 2017. Thirty-five years ago, the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Alabama played a crucial role in ensuring that the lynching of 19-year-old Michael Donald by two...
Nov 17, 2016 · Thomas Figures, a black assistant US attorney who worked for Sessions, testified that Sessions called him “boy” on multiple occasions and joked about the Ku Klux Klan, saying that he thought ...
