AG HOLDER'S SPEECH TO COMMEMORATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY AND SELMA-TO-MONTGOMERY MARCHES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Attorney General Holder Reaffirms Commitment to Voting Rights in Speech to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma-to-Montgomery Marches
Selma, ALUnited States ~ Sunday, March 8, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Reverend [Leodis] Strong, for that kind introduction.  It is a pleasure to be here on this important day, and a privilege to join so many committed public servants, civil rights pioneers, and passionate citizens as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday—and rededicate ourselves to the ongoing fight for civil rights and social justice.

It is a special and humbling honor to speak at this historic chapel—where, 50 years ago, men and women of good conscience and strong will met to advance a cause that was written into our founding documents, and etched into our highest ideals.  Within these walls, they spoke of equality, of opportunity, of justice – and of promises unkept.  They made brave and perilous plans to realize a dream too long deferred.  And they joined together, as one community, to advance the promise of a nation – and to make that promise real.

They did this at a time of great and abiding uncertainty; of deep and dangerous threats.  In the years prior, Freedom Riders testing anti-segregation laws had been attacked by angry mobs; Vivian Malone –who would later become my sister-in-law – had braved Governor George Wallace’s Stand in the Schoolhouse Door to integrate the University of Alabama; Medgar Evers had been murdered outside his home; and four young girls—Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair—had been killed by the blast of a bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, less than a hundred miles north of here, while attending a service titled “The Love that Forgives.”  These contemporary atrocities rested upon the fate of countless and unnamed others who had for centuries been subjected to a state-sponsored regime of intimidation and terror.  And although the Supreme Court had struck down segregation laws more than a decade earlier, innumerable communities continued to enforce laws that kept African Americans entirely separate and emphatically unequal.  Make no mistake: their decision to move forward was the height of bravery.

Nowhere was this discrimination more insidious than in the barriers African Americans faced when attempting to cast a ballot.  Literacy tests, imposed at the discretion of white officials, kept many black individuals from registering to vote; poll taxes – paying to get the necessary documents to vote – were levied against those who did; and lists of African Americans who overcame obstacles to registration were made public, so that some white citizens could identify, intimidate, and often violently suppress black voters.  Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had given African-American men and women historic protections, without adequate political representation and without real political power, people of color continued to be marginalized, stigmatized, brutalized, and denied their very humanity.

It was under those circumstances that civil rights leaders, courageous advocates, and ordinary citizens who were “sick and tired of being sick and tired” gathered here, in Selma—a town where only two percent of African Americans were registered to vote, in a county in which racist practices were enforced by a notoriously brutal sheriff now consigned to the place where all of his kind, from whatever era, ultimately end, and in a state where the governor had called for “segregation forever.”  Spurred by the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson – an unarmed young black man – an earlier movement began and citizens began a march from Selma to Montgomery, across a bridge that was named for a former Alabama Senator, Confederate General and Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan.  It was a march along a road that promised to be neither smooth nor straight; a road that led through difficult terrain; a road that had been traveled by generations whose footsteps still echo through history.

They marched through the abandonment of Reconstruction; marched through the injustice of Plessy v. Ferguson; marched through the era of slavery by another name, and the dark days of Jim Crow; marched past – but always saw – peculiar institutions and that strange, horrific fruit.  They were met with suspicion, with hostility, and with hatred.  And still, they marched on.

Though their feet were tired, their souls were rested.  Though their bodies ached, their will was strong.  Though these nonviolent activists were driven back by violent resistance—by Alabama law enforcement officers wielding whips and billy clubs, bullets and bare fists—they refused to give up, give out, or give in.  Still, they marched on.  And, with the relentless drumbeat of their footsteps, they awoke the conscience of the nation, and bent the arc of the moral universe a little further towards justice.

Their courage and their sacrifice led a dubious Congress and a great President to work with my predecessor, Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, to enshrine into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965—one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.  And over the last six years, as Attorney General of the United States, I have had the duty and the privilege—the responsibility and the sacred honor—of enforcing and defending this law—and the legacy of all those who made it – and me – possible.  I am proud to say that the Department of Justice I lead has aggressively worked to safeguard the right to vote, and to extend its promise to every eligible voter.

And yet, it has been clear in recent years that fair and free access to the franchise is still, in some areas, under siege.  Shortly after the historic election of President Obama in 2008, numerous states and jurisdictions attempted to impose rules and laws that had the effect of restricting Americans’ opportunities to vote—particularly, and disproportionately, communities of color.  And in 2013, a narrowly divided and profoundly flawed Supreme Court ruling undermined Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and dealt a serious blow to a cornerstone of American civil rights law.

In its majority opinion, the Supreme Court wrote that the situation in covered regions had “changed dramatically,” and that, because of gains made particularly by African Americans since the Voting Rights Act went into effect, vital pre-clearance protections that had required federal review of changes to voting procedures in regions with a history of discrimination should no longer be applied.  But as Justice Ginsburg wrote in her striking dissent, “Throwing out pre-clearance when it has worked and is continuing to work…is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”

Let me be clear: while the Court’s decision removed one of the Justice Department’s most effective tools, we remain undaunted and undeterred in our pursuit of a meaningful right to vote for every eligible American.  Since the Court’s ruling, we have used the remaining provisions of the Voting Rights Act to fight back against voting restrictions in states throughout the country –and won.  In Texas, we have sought to block as discriminatory a strict photo identification law and two statewide redistricting plans.  In North Carolina, we brought suit to enjoin a sweeping election statute that imposes a needlessly restrictive voter identification requirement, reduces early voting opportunities, and eliminates same-day registration during early voting.  And in Ohio, Wisconsin, and on behalf of Tribal Nations in Montana and South Dakota, we have supported plaintiffs challenging a wide array of voting restrictions under the Voting Rights Act.  We have also successfully litigated cases to protect the right of military and overseas voters to register and vote by absentee ballot in federal elections.

The Justice Department is also working hard outside the courtroom.  Given their historic origins and their present pernicious impact, I have urged state legislatures to lift restrictions that currently disenfranchise millions of citizens convicted of felonies who have served their sentences in order to help them rejoin their civic communities and reclaim their futures.

I am proud of the work done by the Department of Justice, and I know that my successor—who is with us today—will continue to fight aggressively on behalf of this sacred right.  But I also recognize that the Justice Department cannot wage this fight alone.

For more than two centuries, this nation has been built and improved both by and for the people.  From the framers of a revolution to the engineers of emancipation; from the women walking for suffrage to the marchers from Selma, generation after generation, our slow and arduous progress has always been of our own making.  And today, this progress is entrusted to each of us—to men and women of principle who believe that in an equal America, everyone can shape the future of the nation; that in a fair America, no one is too small to deserve equal treatment under the law, and no one is powerful enough to escape it; and that in a just America, we can do no less than deliver—fully and without reservation—the promise of this country’s democracy to all.

This means standing up, and speaking out, for the civil rights to which everyone in this country is entitled.  It means calling attention to persistent disparities and inequities.  And it means working tirelessly to safeguard and to exercise the right to vote.

At the conclusion of the final march to Montgomery, on the steps of the Alabama state capitol, Dr. King called for “a society at peace with itself.”  We have made once-unimaginable progress in the half-century since he spoke those words.  The failure to acknowledge that is an insult to those we must always honor and hold in our hearts. The fact that I stand here today—50 years after heroes like Reverend Hosea Williams, Amelia Boyntin and Congressman John Lewis were beaten by Alabama State Troopers—as the 82nd, and first African American, Attorney General of the United States, serving in the Administration of the first African American President to lead this nation is cause for great optimism and a sign of tremendous progress.  But progress is not the ultimate goal.  Equality is still the prize. Still, even now, it is clear that we have more work to do; that our beloved community is not yet formed; that our society is not yet at a just peace.

I have no expectation that our goals will be simple to achieve, or that complex challenges will be easily overcome.  I know that our road will be long, and that many obstacles will stand in our way.  But I have no doubt that—if we stand together; if we walk together; if we believe as we always have in the power of our ideals and the force of our shared community—not only our cause, but our country shall overcome.  Half a century ago, it was said that “nothing could stop the marching feet of a determined people.”  Today, 50 years after Bloody Sunday, we stand together once again as a people.  We are no less determined.  And we will march on.

We will march on, until the self-evident truth of equality is made real for every American.  We will march on, until every citizen is afforded his or her fundamental right to vote.  We will march on, toward that bright horizon, to the day when all Americans—young or old, rich or poor, famous or unknown; no matter who they are, where they’re from, what they look like, or whom they love—has an equal share in the American Dream.  Until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream—we will march on.  We will march because change is not inevitable, progress not preordained.  Our history teaches us that hard work and perseverance in spite of the inevitable setbacks are the only methods to obtain that to which we are entitled.

While my time in the Department of Justice will soon draw to a close, I want you to know that, no matter what I do or where my own journey takes me, I will never leave this work.  I will never abandon this mission. Nor can you.  If we are to honor those who came before us, and those still among us, we must match their sacrifice, their effort, with our own.  The times change, the issues seem different, but the solutions are timeless and tested: question authority and the old ways. Work.  Struggle.  Challenge entrenched power.  Persevere.  Overcome.

In Galatians 6:9 it is said, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for we shall reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  If we do not give up.

Be assured that I will always work beside you as we seek to build the more perfect Union—and the more just society—that all Americans deserve



Thank you, once again, for your steadfast support; for your passionate engagement; and for your unwavering devotion to this country and this cause—as we join together, as we forge ahead, and – as our people before – we march on.

DOJ STATEMENTS RELEASED REGARDING AG HOLDER'S RESIGNATION

Attorney General Holder
Credit:  DOJ Website

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Statements on the Departure of Attorney General Eric Holder

STATEMENT FROM ETHEL KENNEDY REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“Eric Holder has vigilantly defended an ideal Bobby strongly believed -- that the Justice Department must deliver justice for all Americans. Especially our most vulnerable, who live in the very communities where justice can be hardest to find.”

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STATEMENT FROM MYRLIE EVERS REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“There has been no greater ally in the fight for justice, civil rights, equal rights, and voting rights than Attorney General Holder.  As a fierce consequential defender of the right to vote, the Attorney General has worked tirelessly to ensure that every American has the right, the ability and the opportunity to cast their vote and let their voice be heard.

“Attorney General Holder never shied away from the issues that greatly affect us all.  From lobbying Congress to reduce prison sentences for non-violent drug offenders, to cracking down on abuse by police departments and to working to ease racial tension throughout the United States, the Attorney General was always there ready to correct injustices and offer common sense reforms to better our nation.

“I am honored to call the Attorney General a friend, and have had the distinct pleasure of working very closely with him throughout his tenure as AG and prior to his appointment. Just last year, when we celebrated the life of my husband Medgar, Attorney General Holder was the first to offer his assistance to honor Medgar and vowed to continue his pursuit for justice for all Americans, just as Medgar did.

“I wish AG Holder continued success, and look forward to continuing our work together to ensure that that this country stays on the path to greatness, righteousness and equality that we both have dedicated our lives to.”

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STATEMENT FROM MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“On behalf of the City of Chicago, I want to thank Attorney General Eric Holder for more than five and a half years of extraordinary service as our nation’s Attorney General. Whether it’s reducing gun violence on our streets or supporting restorative justice in our schools so more children can stay on track to graduate, the City of Chicago has had a strong partner in Attorney General Holder. He has been a great champion for keeping our streets safer, making our communities stronger, and making our criminal justice system fairer. We are a better nation because of Attorney General Holder’s outstanding service.”

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STATEMENT FROM THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS CEO WADE HENDERSON REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“Attorney General Holder has presided over one of the most forward-thinking and visionary Justice Departments in memory. Remembering only his historic confirmation as the first African-American attorney general would not do justice to his tenure over the past six years, which was one of the most successful in modern American history.

"Under his leadership, the Department of Justice has put forth groundbreaking reforms to our broken criminal justice system, championed the right to vote, defended the Affordable Care Act, protected homeowners from predatory lending, defended the federal government from state overreach on immigration laws, and backed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

"His tenure is even more remarkable considering that he was victim to an unprecedented witch hunt and abuse of power by House Republicans.  Their attempt to stain the office by issuing the only contempt citation against a sitting cabinet member in modern history only validated Attorney General Holder’s effectiveness and commitment to promoting the civil and human rights of all Americans.

"Attorney General Holder came to the job as the one of the most well-prepared nominees ever considered for the post, and he has surpassed even those high expectations. We commend his service to our nation and will work to confirm a successor that will continue Justice’s commitment to the advancement of civil and human rights.”

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STATEMENT FROM THE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. today lauded the stellar leadership of departing Attorney General Eric Holder, who announced his resignation this morning. LDF also emphasized the need for continued vigilance in the protection of civil rights.

“When Attorney General Holder took the helm of the Department of Justice in 2009, he vowed to make the Civil Rights division the department's ‘crown jewel,’ and he has more than fulfilled that mission,” said Sherrilyn A. Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of NAACP LDF. “When the history of his tenure is written, Eric Holder will ultimately be recognized as one of the finest Attorneys General this country has ever known. In the field of civil rights there are few who could even claim to rival this Attorney General's dedication, strategic focus and commitment."

“General Holder's vision for the Civil Rights Division was one of restoration and transformation, from his leadership on voting rights, to legal services for the poor, to criminal justice reforms and, in recent weeks, to his forceful response to the tragic events in Ferguson,” Ifill added.

Ifill expressed particular support for the Attorney General’s forceful and courageous willingness to speak openly about the problem of mass incarceration in this country. “The ‘Smart on Crime’ initiatives he announced last year are a quintessential example of Attorney General Holder’s vision and boldness,” she said.

In 2013, Ifill noted, when the Supreme Court invalidated key portions of the Voting Rights Act in a devastating decision, Attorney General Holder immediately deployed the full litigation strength of the Justice Department in places like Texas and North Carolina to protect voters of color who had been made even more vulnerable to voting discrimination.  Most recently, his Justice Department attorneys stood side-by-side with LDF lawyers in a Texas courtroom to challenge that state’s discriminatory photo ID law.  A decision in that case, United States v. Texas, is expected in the next few weeks.

“It is hard to overstate the impact of General Holder’s tenure – but we are confident that his initiatives will endure, even under new leadership,” said Leslie Proll, Director of LDF’s Washington Office.  “At this critical time for America, we can’t afford to lose momentum on civil rights.  Certainly the next nominee will have big shoes to fill, but we trust and expect that his replacement will be up to the task.”

Attorney General Holder began his storied legal career as an intern at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund while at law school.  Earlier this year, he was the keynote speaker at LDF’s 60th anniversary celebration of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. View his remarks online here [external link].

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STATEMENT FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality, today praised the distinguished service of Eric Holder upon learning that he will be stepping down as U.S. Attorney General pending confirmation of his successor. HRC believes that the President should use this opportunity to appoint the nation’s first out LGBT cabinet member.

"Some Attorneys General wait for history, others make history happen. Attorney General Holder made history for the LGBT community,” said Chad Griffin, President of HRC. “He was our Robert F. Kennedy, lightening the burden of every American who faces legal discrimination and social oppression. We owe him a profound debt of gratitude for his legacy of advocacy and service."

Attorney General Holder has been a staunch advocate for civil rights for LGBT Americans throughout his career in public life. As U.S. Attorney General for the District of Columbia, he formed the first hate crimes task force, which has become a model for U.S. Attorneys throughout the country. He spearheaded the administration’s decision to not defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. Under his leadership, the FBI and Civil Rights Division began actively investigating and prosecuting hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity with the implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

His leadership is without comparison in the swift implementation of the Supreme Court’s Decision in Windsor v. United States. Attorney General Holder declared that the ruling meant that, “Americans in same-sex marriages are entitled to equal protection and equal treatment under the law.” From this historic statement, more than 1,000 federal rights and benefits of marriages have begun to flow to same-sex couples across the country.

HRC continues to advocate for the historic appointment of an openly LGBT cabinet member to the Obama administration.

"President Obama faces a historic opportunity in light of Attorney General Holder's departure,” said Chad Griffin, President of HRC. “The President has expressed a commitment to appointing a cabinet that reflects the full diversity of the American people, and there are many richly-qualified candidates available to serve as the first openly-LGBT cabinet secretary. It would be a natural extension of this administration's enduring commitment to equality to send a message of visibility and inclusion by nominating such a candidate to serve in this historic role."

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STATEMENT FROM SENATOR BILL NELSON REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“I have found Attorney General Holder to be an outstanding public servant with whom I’ve had the privilege to work with on a number of issues. Among them, he has led the fight to protect the right to vote for all citizens and that includes his recent letter warning Florida’s governor against any future efforts there to suppress the vote.  And he also has been very supportive of scientists’ efforts to unlock the secrets of potential abuse at a now-shuttered reform school in North Florida.  The president will miss his counsel.”

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STATEMENT FROM REPRESENTATIVE JOHN CONYERS REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“Attorney General Eric Holder has delivered the utmost distinguished service during his tenure in the Obama Administration.  As the first African American to serve as Attorney General, Mr. Holder has shown vigorous dedication to the American people and advancing civil rights for all.

“As the fourth longest serving Attorney General in U.S. history, his devotion to the pursuit of justice is unparalleled and has comforted the nation during great times of turmoil. I appreciate that he will remain in his post until a successor is named.  I wish him well in all his future endeavors and thank him for his tireless efforts over the past six years and more.”

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STATEMENT FROM REPRESENTATIVE ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“It is heartbreaking for me to see the Attorney General leave the administration, but it is understandable that, after six years of outstanding work on domestic and international legal issues, he would desire to return to private life,” Norton said.  “We in the District of Columbia are especially proud and grateful that it was his outstanding record as U.S. Attorney here that first brought Eric to the attention of President Clinton and, ultimately, to President Obama.  This morning, we discussed his exceptional work to avoid the harshness of federal mandatory minimum sentencing in selected cases, when the results would have been particularly unfair, by using the local courts.  This was possible because of the U.S. Attorney’s dual local and federal jurisdiction.  His work influenced the changes now underway with federal mandatory minimums that are reducing the sentences of thousands of low-level drug offenders.”

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STATEMENT FROM REPRESENTATIVE ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“Over the past six years, Attorney General Holder has worked to improve our nation’s broken justice system, enforce civil rights laws, ban racial profiling, rekindle trust between law enforcement and communities of color, restructure sentencing guidelines, and identify constructive alternatives to incarceration.  In the process, he has improved how our courts and law enforcement officers do their jobs.

“As the first-ever African American to serve in this position, Attorney General Holder has promoted equal protection under the law by building bridges across ideology, race, gender, and class.  His capacity to fight for the rights of every American has been boundless, and his plan to continue many of those battles beyond his tenure at the Department of Justice is a testament to his character.

“In his 26 years of public service, he has built a legacy of which he can be extremely proud, and I wish him the best as he moves on to new endeavors.”

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STATEMENT FROM REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS REGARDING ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER

“I deeply saddened to learn today that the U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, is stepping down.”

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF U.S. VOTING

Photo:  Voting In U.S. Election.  Credit:  White House.

FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE

Elections & Voting
One of the most important rights of American citizens is the franchise — the right to vote. Originally under the Constitution, only white male citizens over the age of 21 were eligible to vote. This shameful injustice has been corrected and voting rights have been extended several times over the course of our history. Today, citizens over the age of 18 cannot be denied the right to vote, regardless of race, religion, sex, disability, or sexual orientation. However, in every state except North Dakota, citizens must register to vote, and laws regarding the registration process vary by state.

The path to full voting rights for all American citizens was long and often challenging. The franchise was first extended to African Americans under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution, passed during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. These guaranteed that all male citizens, regardless of their race, would receive equal treatment under the law and not be deprived of their rights without due process. The Fifteenth Amendment is specifically dedicated to protecting the right of all citizens to vote, regardless of their race.

For practical purposes, this was not the end of the voting rights struggle for African Americans. Because of widespread discrimination in some states, including the use of poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and literacy tests, African Americans were not assured full voting rights until President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

Women were denied the right to vote until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed. Prior to that, women had only been able to vote in select states.

Federal elections occur every two years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Every member of the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate is up for reelection in any given election year. A presidential election is held every fourth year.

Federal elections are administered by state and local governments, although the specifics of how elections are conducted differ between the states. The Constitution and laws of the United States grant the states wide latitude in how they administer elections.