The Justice Department likes to boast that it employs graduates of nearly every law school accredited by the American Bar Association. At last tally, Justice had on staff lawyers from top schools such as the University of Chicago and Yale as well as from nth-tier schools like the University of Baltimore and Widener University in Delaware. Historically black colleges, including Howard and Texas Southern University, were also represented. Why, then, would the department feel the need to institute a diversity program?
On February 5, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson announced at a departmental ceremony a new initiative to recruit and retain lawyers of diverse racial, ethnic, economic, and geographic backgrounds. There are no specific targets for any group. Besides introducing common-sense measures like a student loan repayment option to help the government compete with astronomical private sector salaries, Justice will institute a mentoring program for all new attorneys, begin posting job openings on the Internet, and provide diversity training for both career and appointed staff. This training will likely contain “common sense information on the different sensitivities,” such as those harbored by Hindu or Muslim Americans, department spokesman Mark Corallo said.
