Thread: Justice Department Subpoenaed In Black Panther Voter Intimid

Justice Department Subpoenaed In New Black Panther Voter Intimidation Case

December 28, 2009
by Personal Liberty News Desk

The U.S. Civil Rights Commission recently subpoenaed the Justice Department in an effort to understand why they dropped charges in May against three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in a voter intimidation case that was won by the government.

Three members of the group were charged in a civil complaint with violating the Voter Rights Act by allegedly using force to threaten voters and block campaign workers in November 2008, according to FoxNews.com.

One of the members, Minister King Samir Shabazz, was accused of brandishing a police-style baton and menacingly pointing it at prospective voters.

The government won the case in April, but moved to dismiss the charges in May after obtaining an injunction against Shabazz. The Justice Department defended its actions, stating that they dismissed the charges "based on a careful assessment of the facts and the law."

The department’s explanation and their subsequent lack of response to inquiries by conservatives have not satisfied members of the Civil Rights Commission or Republican lawmakers.

"Over the last year, the department has stonewalled any effort to learn about the decision to dismiss the case," said Representative Frank Wolf (R-Va.), quoted by the news source.

He added, "I have written Attorney General [Eric] Holder on six occasions asking for an explanation for the dismissal of this case. To date, I have received no response from him."

Malik Zulu Shabazz, chairman of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, said that insider influence played no role in the dismissal of the charges and that the commission’s inquiry is a "political witch hunt," according to the Associated Press (AP). The Panthers "were not active campaigners [for Obama] and he owes us no favors," he said.

http://www.personalliberty.com/news/jus ... -19524609/

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/200 ... fired.html

DOJ Voting rights chief fired. Prosecuted New Black Panthers
Clarice Feldman

Main Justice.com reports there's been an unceremonial removal from office of the Civil Rights Division's Voting Rights Section chief, Christopher Coates. He signed off on the complaint against the Black Panthers and is presently under subpoena by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission which is investigating Attorny General Holder's decision to drop the case after it was won.

Veteran Civil Rights Division attorney Christopher Coates is no longer chief of the Voting Section, according to the division's Web site.

There was no official announcement of the personnel change in the long-troubled section, which most recently has been embroiled in the controversy over the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation case. Main Justice noticed the change on the Voting Section Web site.

Taking over for Coates in an acting role is Chris Herren, a deputy chief of the section, according to the Web site.

Alejandro Miyar, a spokesman for the Civil Rights Division, wasn't available for comment Sunday. Coates did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. It could not be learned whether Coates left the department entirely or transferred to another post.

Coates signed off on the controversial voter intimidation complaint against the New Black Panther Party and three of its members, filed in the waning days of the George W. Bush administration. The Obama DOJ's decision to dismiss most of the charges in May has become a political controversy for the administration.

Coates also supervised J. Christian Adams, the career Voting Section attorney who compiled the Black Panther case. Adams, who has a history of conservative advocacy, was hired in 2005 by then-Civil Rights Division official Bradley Scholzman, a Bush political appointee who improperly politicized the hiring process in the division, the department's Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility found in a joint investigation.

Coates had been listed on the Web site as chief of the Voting Section as late as Dec. 20.

Our Federal Government is dirty as can be, from top to bottom, ALL departments...
We need to clean house and get the trash with the communist agenda out of there.