United States Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) met Thursday, January 9, 2015 with current United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch, nominee for Attorney General.
“As America’s top lawyer, the Attorney General plays a pivotal role in finding the appropriate balance between protecting the safety and security of our nation and protecting the civil rights of our citizens. I was impressed with Ms. Lynch’s background and legal expertise. I look forward to following her confirmation hearing and timely consideration by the full Senate. Once confirmed, I intend to work closely with Ms. Lynch on civil rights issues, as well as legal and investigative issues that come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and other committees on which I serve.
“Since my tenure on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have maintained a strong connection to the civil rights advocacy community. During my meeting with Ms. Lynch, I shared our collective disappointment that the recent guidance issued by the Department of Justice did not specifically ban discriminatory or racial profiling by all law enforcement— state and local, as well as federal. I urged her to be supportive of my legislation that would codify such a prohibition and help restore the trust in law enforcement that has been eroded in many communities. We also discussed the long-time work to restore voting rights of individuals who have been released from prison and the new-found bipartisan interest in this important civil rights effort. As the former Chairman of the Maryland Legal Services Board, I was also pleased to hear about Ms. Lynch’s experience at Harvard Law School when she was a member of the Legal Aid Bureau. I encouraged her to review options for providing full funding and lifting restrictions for the Legal Services Corporation.”