President Obama intends to nominate Vanita Gupta of the American Civil Liberties Union to head the Department of Justice’s civil rights division, according to reports.
This is significant in light of things Gupta has said about marijuana prohibition.
For example, on MSNBC she said:
“What’s happening in Colorado and Washington are actually racial justice victories as well.”
In a New York Times opinion piece she wrote:
“But this is no time to rest. Those who seek a fairer criminal justice system, unclouded by racial bias, must at a minimum demand that the government eliminate mandatory minimum sentences, which tie judges’ hands; rescind three-strikes laws, which often make no distinction between, say, armed assault and auto theft; amend “truth in sentencing” statutes, which prohibit early release for good behavior; and recalibrate drug policies, starting with decriminalization of marijuana possession and investment in substance-abuse prevention and treatment. …
