Confirm Kristen Clarke, a champion of protecting people of faith, as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
Dear Senate Committee on the Judiciary,
We are Latter-day Saints from across the United States. While we do not speak for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are taking up the charge of President Dallin H. Oaks, the First Counselor in our Church’s First Presidency, to be “knowledgeable citizens who are active in making our influence felt in civic affairs.” As such, we ask the United States Senate to confirm Kristen Clarke as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division because of her work on behalf of people of faith, to better prosecute hate crimes, and to secure our elections and our right to vote.
As we examine Ms. Clarke’s career, we note that while serving the state of New York she led the Religious Rights Unit, where she combatted religious discrimination and promoted religious tolerance. It was in this role that she secured the rights of workers to better observe the Sabbath, including the rights of Jewish employees to do so. She also led substantial efforts to address religious rights issues and protect religious liberties through public education, outreach, and law enforcement. We note that our voices are joining those of many of our fellow Christians, as well as Jewish, Sikh, and Muslim faith leaders.
In 2019, Ms. Clarke partnered with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to enhance and improve responses to the troubling rise of hate crimes we have witnessed. Over several months, she worked with law enforcement leaders across the county to create model policies that have since been adopted around the world. As Latter-day Saints, we are deeply troubled by the resurgence in white supremacist crimes and deeply appreciate the work Ms. Clarke has done to combat neo-Nazi and other hate groups.
President Oaks recently reminded us that “it is wrong for citizens to have no voice in the selection of their rulers or the making of their laws.” Ms. Clarke knows and lives this truth and has dedicated her career to protecting the rights of voters, including her work directing the voting rights project at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She has also served as a key member of the National Task Force on the Election Crises, a bipartisan group of experts working to promote a free, fair, and secure selection. Having represented the voters of Shelby County, Alabama, we have every confidence in Ms. Clarke’s ability and willingness to stand for every American’s right to vote.
During his confirmation hearings, Attorney General Merrick Garland described Ms. Clarke as a “person of integrity” whose “views about the Civil Rights Division…are in line with his” and that his faith in her is “complete” and that we “need [Ms. Clarke] leading the Civil Rights Division.” She is a bridge builder with extensive support in the law enforcement community, including the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations, the Executive Director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, and the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association. She began her professional career in the Department of Justice during President George W. Bush’s administration. What’s more, seventy-one former state attorneys general from both sides of the aisle, including former Utah Attorney Mark Shurtleff, support Ms. Clarke’s speedy confirmation.
Ms. Clarke’s nomination further underscores President Biden’s dedication to uniting our country and serving as president for everyone. Her confirmation will ensure that the Civil Rights Division is being led by someone who will stand for all of us.
Respectfully,
Robert Taber, North Carolina
Page Checketts, Utah
Jordan Morales, Idaho
Whitney Ingram, Utah
William Meservy, South Carolina
Mark Shurtleff, Utah
Scott Howell, Utah
Jeff Hunter, Utah
Maxine Prestwich, California
Linda Lundberg, Utah
David Rodgers, Utah
Christina Marriott, Colorado
Marcus Stucki, Utah
James Valentine, Utah
Brandi Schall, Utah
Betty Stokes, New Mexico
Megen Hermansen, Washington
Whitney Bladen, Utah
Steven Rainey, Idaho
Kurt Swensen, Colorado
Melissa Wallis, Utah
Jeanine Bean, California
Betty Stokes, New Mexico
Nick Christensen, Arizona
Ann Royce, Utah
Linette Roberts, Idaho
Rebecca Soto, Washington
Jeanine Bean, California
Eric Buhler, Montana
Barbara Brower, Utah
Ruby Findley, Texas
Marcie Nelson, Utah
Sharon Harris, Utah
Jamie Peterson, Utah
Jessica Tyler, Utah
Jack Dunn , Utah
Karin Thomas, Kansas
Heather Sams, Nevada
Christina Sanchez, Washington
Becky Wright, Arizona
Kay Baldwin, Colorado
Dan Cragun, Oregon
Janie Bowen, North Carolina
Jeana Bacon, North Carolina
Sue Hardgrove, Nevada
Matthew Carter, NV
Ryan Curtis, Utah
Mark Zimbelman, Utah
Frederick Bowers, Maryland
Herman Mackay, Utah
Brenda Gowey, Arizona
Steven Haws, Utah
John Lyon, Pennsylvania
Carmen Zabalegui, Florida
Ben Wood, Utah
Amy Oglesby, Utah
Erin Young, Iowa
Carolyn Melby, Maryland
Steve Warren, Utah
Jennifer Thomas, Ohio
Carlene Smith Bush, Utah
Laura Stevens, Utah
Jeanine Bean, California
Cindy Alfonso, Arizona
Elizabeth Burt, Utah
Linda Newton, Idaho
Mary Jane Smith, Utah
Kennan De Gruccio, New Jersey
Yvonne Gibb, Washington
Elna Hamp, Utah
Adam Ward, Oregon
Elna Soter, Kentucky
Kelly Norton, Arizona
Carol Gumbs, New Jersey
Lindsay Moore, Utah
Megan Park, Utah
Mary Jane Smith, Utah
Jessica George, Utah
Howard Nelson, Missouri
Lisa Bolin Hawkins, Utah
Barbara Thornton, Utah
Leslie Anglesey, Texas
Gary Sooter, Illinois
Lisa Kusick, California
Reagan Curtis, Utah
Tia Haycock, Utah
Lora Beth Brown, Utah
Brian Butler, Utah
Steven Lindsey , Texas
Bruce Young, Utah
Kathryn Ramirez, Utah
Paulene Rita, California
Jennifer Seaver, Utah
Michael Sasse, Oregon
Robert Whiting, Utah
Lynda Smith, Utah
Mary Nothum, Utah
Gary Grover, Utah
Jon Roach, Utah
Karen Heiner, New Mexico
Mel Smith, Utah
Becky Coombs, UtahDudley Sharp, Arizona
Sabrena Suite-Mangum, Utah
Barbara Sorensen, Idaho
Anna Clare Shepherd, Utah
Keith Rex, Oregon
Larry Elton, Nevada
Burton Smith, Arizona
Ken Nye, Utah
Lori Brady, Utah
Morgan Wills, Idaho
Karen Zimbelman, Utah
Devon Linn, Pennsylvania
Carolyn Melby, Maryland
Barbara Thornton, Utah
Steven Rainey, Idaho
Ken Nye, Utah
Linda Lundberg, Utah
Christine Teske-Subotic, Washington
Cissy Rasmussen, Utah
Erika Briggs, Utah
Camille Andersen, Idaho
Jennifer Seaver, Utah
Benee Larsen, Utah
To add your name, go here.
