Why Senate Democrats Torpedoed Obama's Top Civil Rights Nominee
SAHIL KAPUR – MARCH 5, 2014, 1:24 PM EST
In a remarkable move, the Democratic-led Senate scuttled President Barack Obama's top civil rights nominee, citing his poor relations with the law enforcement community and a lack of voter "confidence" in him.
Debo P. Adegbile, who was tapped to be Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, failed to get the 50 votes needed to move forward on Wednesday. Eight Democrats voted with every Republican against "cloture" to advance the nomination (which now requires 50), leading to a final vote of 47 in favor, 52 against.
He is the first Obama nominee to be shot down by the Senate after Democrats changed the rules in November to eliminate the filibuster for non-Supreme Court nominees. Vice President Joe Biden came to the Senate to preside over the vote in case it was a 50-50 tie.
"[A]t a time when the Civil Rights Division urgently needs better relations with the law enforcement community, I was troubled by the idea of voting for an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights who would face such visceral opposition from law enforcement on his first day on the job," said Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), who voted against the nominee.
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