Lawyers’ Committee Responds to Trump's Disbanding of Highly Controversial Election Integrity Commission

Washington, D.C. — Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, released the following statement after President Trump issued a Jan. 3, 2018 Executive Order disbanding the highly controversial Election Integrity Commission:

"The President's Election Integrity Commission was a vehicle launched for the singular purpose of laying the groundwork to promote voter suppression policies on a national scale. This unprecedented effort demonstrated this administration's clear hostility to voting rights.  

"We mounted successful litigation against the administration that exposed its failure to abide by federal transparency requirements and vowed to keep fighting until the Commission was terminated. Today's Executive Order disbanding the Commission is a victory for those who are concerned about ensuring access to the ballot box across the country.

"That said, we will remain vigilant. As with the Muslim Ban, this administration has a track record of repackaging and reissuing old and discriminatory policies.  At every turn, we will fight this administration's attempts to restrict the voting rights of ordinary Americans."

A copy of the Executive Order can be found here.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law had undertaken a series of comprehensive actions to challenge the Commission. 

Those actions included:

• Mounting successful litigation in the D.C. District Court demanding the Commission operate in a transparent manner pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
• Launching a hotline for the public to report instances of voter suppression (866-OUR-VOTE)
• Sending letters to Secretaries of State demanding they not comply with Mr. Kobach’s unprecedented request for voter roll data
• Filing a Hatch Act complaint against Mr. Kobach regarding his repeated exploitation of his Commission role to solicit campaign contributions and promote his candidacy for Governor of Kansas
• Issuance of a FOIA letter to the U.S. Department of Justice to expose collusion between the Election Integrity Commission and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's Voting Section

About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination.  Now in its 54th year, the Lawyers’ Committee is continuing its quest “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.