Senate Confirms Tom Perez to Head the Civil Rights Division!

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 72-22 to confirm Tom Perez as assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, said the vote on Perez "gives the nation a leader who is arguably the most well-qualified individual ever nominated for the position and one who is completely dedicated to enforcing the law and protecting all Americans from discrimination."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released a statement which read, “As a former elected official, former state appointee, esteemed scholar and former trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division itself, Thomas Perez brings a wealth of experience to his new position as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. In addition, he has been a leading voice on issues ranging from immigration to racial disparities in the health care system.

“As a first generation Dominican-American, Mr. Perez is now the second Hispanic American to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. I applaud President Obama’s appointment of Secretary Perez and look forward to adding his voice and leadership to the Department of Justice.”

President Obama nominated Perez for the position on March 13. Perez will head the Civil Rights Division, the federal agency that enforces the Voting Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and other federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin.