Race Neutral Enforcement of the Law? the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Black Panther Party Litigation

The United States Commission on Civil Rights transmits this report, Race Neutral Enforcement of the Law? DOJ and the New Black Panther Party Litigation: An Interim Report, pursuant to Public Law 103-419. The purpose of the report is to examine the U.S. Department of Justice's ("DOJ" or "the Department") legal and policy rationales for dismissing a civil voter intimidation lawsuit against three of four defendants and reducing the relief requested against the fourth, despite the case being in default. Based upon the incomplete, incorrect and changing explanations offered by the Department for its actions, the Commission decided to examine whether the U.S. Department of Justice enforced voting rights in a race-neutral manner when it reversed course in the New Black Panther Party case.