JURIST - Paper Chase: DOJ lawyers leaving Civil Rights Division in record numbers

[JURIST] Lawyers in the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division [official website] are leaving their positions in record numbers amid allegations that the current administration is damaging morale and frustrating the efforts of long-time employees, according to a Washington Post report. The report alleges that attorneys in the division, which is charged with enforcing federal civil rights laws, have complained that they are excluded from major policy decisions, and embarrassed by recent criticism, including its endorsement of a Georgia law [PDF] requiring voters to present photo ID at the polls. Last month, a US district judge issued an injunction [JURIST report] barring enforcement of the law; the injunction was later upheld [JURIST report] by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. A DOJ spokesman contends that the division's overall attrition rate of 13 percent is not substantially higher that the 11 percent rate during the Clinton administration. In the 2005 fiscal year nearly 20 percent of staff lawyers to quit. The Washington Post has more.

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