Senate confirms Kristen Clarke as first Black woman to lead DOJ civil rights division

Democrats confirmed Kristen Clarke on Tuesday as the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department's Civil Rights division, a historic step that came on the anniversary of George Floyd's killing -- and after a vitriolic campaign by Republicans over her stance on policing.

The vote was 51-48 with Sen. Susan Collins as the only Republican voting for her confirmation. Clarke's confirmation breaks barriers in a department that was established in 1957.
She was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris at the Justice Department on Tuesday evening. Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders praised Clarke as "a timeless champion of equal justice" in a statement before the ceremony.
"This is a historic moment because for the first time since its creation, following the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the confirmed Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights will be a woman, and will be a black woman, and that is Kristen Clarke," Sanders said.