DOJ DRAWS FIRE OVER ALLEGATIONS OF POLITICIZED HIRING

A recent government report by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) revealed that hundreds of applicants for career positions with the Department of Justice were rejected because of their affiliations with “liberal” legal organizations, including the American Constitution Society.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and faced criticism over the hiring activities, which occurred under the previous attorneys general, John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzalez. Sen. Russell Feingold called the hiring practices “unacceptable,” and Attorney General Mukasey promised to implement recommendations made in the OIG/OPR report. The hiring practices also have prompted a lawsuit from a former applicant to the Honors program, as well as ethics complaints from a private group.

View the special video message from ACS Executive Director Lisa Brown:

Additional links to significant documents related to the controversy, including the OIG/OPR report, ACS’s initial response, press coverage and other materials, are included below:

• The August 13th ACS Press Release Criticizing Attorney General Mukasey's failure to respond adequately to the Department's politicization of hiring.

• Attorney General Mukasey's speech to the American Bar Association.

• News stories discussing the Attorney General's speech here and here and a New York Times editorial about it here.

• The June 24 OIG/OPR report on the investigation into DOJ career hiring practices.

• Letters from ACS to House and Senate Judicial Commitee Chairs and Ranking Members.

• Media coverage of the OIG/OPR report from The New York Times and The Washington Post and additional coverage here, here and here. Further analysis reveals immigrants seeking asylum in U.S. harmed by DOJ hiring controversy.

• Webcast of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the hiring controversy, including testimony by Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

• The ACS press release responding to the OIG/OPR report.

• An op-ed by ACS Executive Director Lisa Brown’s commenting on the report for Talking Points Memo Café.

• An op-ed on the report by Bruce Einhorn, retired federal judge and ACS member.