Biden admin's top civil rights lawyer joins NAACP as Trump attacks on voting rights escalate

Source: CNN Politics

Updated Mar 25, 2026, 11:02 AM ET
PUBLISHED Mar 25, 2026, 9:10 AM ET


The former assistant attorney general for civil rights under President Joe Biden, Kristen Clarke, is joining the National Association for the Advancement of Color People (NAACP) as general counsel, according to the organization.

Clarke was previously the top civil rights lawyer at the Justice Department where she led the Civil Rights Division. Her move to the NAACP comes as the Justice Department under President Donald Trump has been redoubling its efforts around elections and voting rights.

“The move comes as the Trump Administration works to erode democratic institutions and dismantle civil rights protections. To meet the moment, the NAACP is expanding its own capabilities and ramping up its investment in its legal advocacy efforts by hiring the former senior Justice Department official to fight back,” the NAACP said in the news release about Clarke’s hire.

Clarke started her career at the Justice Department as a trial attorney for the civil rights division in 2000. In 2006, she was hired by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to focus on the organization’s work with voting rights and election law. During her time at the NAACP, Clarke worked on several cases defending the Voting Rights Act. She went on to work on civil rights issues for the state of New York and in courts across the country.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/25/politics/kristen-clarke-biden-civil-rights-lawyer-naacp