The non-ideological, non-partisan enforcement of law is fundamental to the public’s trust in the Department. Yet in a recent report assessing how the enforcement priorities of the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division have changed over time and whether the voting rights laws have been enforced in a non-discriminatory fashion, the OIG identified issues in the handling of a small number of cases that the OIG believed risked undermining public confidence in the non-ideological enforcement of the voting rights laws. The investigation also revealed several incidents in which deep ideological polarization fueled disputes and mistrust that harmed the functioning of the Voting Section, including numerous examples of harassment and marginalization of employees and managers due, at least in part, to their perceived ideological or political beliefs. These incidents received substantial public attention through congressional hearings and media reporting, thereby feeding the concern that the administration of justice had become politicized. The OIG will monitor the Department’s corrective actions taken in response to our report.
This is the sole mention of the Voting Section in the Dec. 11 report (h/t Christian Adams).