October 11, 2018
Honorable Members
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators,
The undersigned consumer, community, civil rights and labor organizations strongly urge you to oppose the nomination of Eric Dreiband to serve as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is tasked with the mission of protecting the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans and enforcing anti-discrimination laws.
In direct contrast to the Civil Rights Division’s anti-discrimination mandate, Eric Dreiband has devoted much of his career and focused much of his time on limiting the rights and remedies available to victims of discrimination. Not only has he spent the vast majority of his career defending corporations accused of employment discrimination, but Mr. Dreiband has also testified in his personal capacity before Congress against equal pay for women and written in support of restrictions on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s enforcement mechanisms and its ability to bring lawsuits against discriminatory employers.
Through litigation, testimony, and personal writing, Mr. Dreiband has actively advocated to narrow the scope of anti-discrimination laws. He has made no effort to hide his hostility towards civil rights. Mr. Dreiband’s record conveys his eagerness to weaken protections against discrimination. Instead of protecting the American people, Mr. Dreiband would leave them more vulnerable to harm.
Given our country’s history of redlining and the persistent problems of housing discrimination, as organizations that focus on housing and financial issues, Mr. Dreiband’s antagonism towards anti-discrimination laws is particularly troubling. The Civil Rights Division is tasked with enforcing fair housing and equal credit laws to promote fair and equitable access to housing opportunities. Contrary to this mandate, Mr. Dreiband’s record indicates that he will make it harder to fight housing and credit discrimination, which will prevent women, people of color and other members of protected classes from accessing affordable housing and achieving the American dream of homeownership.
Mr. Dreiband is not the kind of leader the Civil Rights Division needs to carry out its mission. We urge you to oppose his nomination.
Sincerely,
Americans for Financial Reform
Connecticut Fair Housing Center
Consumer Action
Empire Justice Center
Family Equality Council
Main Street Alliance
Mobilization for Justice Inc.
NAACP
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Fair Housing Alliance
New Jersey Citizen Action
PolicyLink
Woodstock Institute