They might as well put up the "No Experience Required" sign at the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

According to an article in the Boston Globe, the Bush Administration has set about chaning the Division, and not for the better (what a surprise)!

According to the Globe, the Bush Administration has filled the permanent ranks of DOJ's Civil Rights Division "with lawyers who have strong conservative credentials but little experience in civil rights."  (Just like they hired the Chief Rules Enforcer of the International Arabian Horse Association, to be the Head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency).

Since 2003, only 42% of the lawyers hired to work in the Civil Rights Division, actually have experience in civil rights. In the two years prior to that, 77% of the lawyers hired had a background in civil rights.

What's more, in 2002, then Attorney General John Aschcroft changed the rules to give BushCo.'s political appointees more say in the hiring process.  Why is this important?  Because traditionally, past administrations have recognized the need to keep the Civil Rights Division as non-partisan as possible.  Consequently, hiring for career jobs in the Civil Rights Divsion, had been handled by career civil servants, NOT political appointees.  But BushCo. changed all of that.

Not only are they changing how they hire, but they are changing WHO they hire. The number of new hires with traditional civil rights background experience has fallen, and the number of new hires with conservative credentials has increased.

What's more, under BushCo., the Civil Rights Division is filing FEWER cases alleging voting rights and employment discrimination against African-Americans, and has instead chosen to file MORE cases alleging reverse discrimination against Caucasians.

Jon Greenbaum worked in the Voting Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division from 1997 to 2003, and he says "The clear emphasis has been to hire individuals with conservative credentials," he said. ``If anything, a civil rights background is considered a liability."

Civil rights hiring shifted in Bush era

Conservative leanings stressed