“The Senate’s failure to end the filibuster and allow an up-or-down vote on Debo Adegbile to serve as assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division today is deeply troubling. This vote threatens our nation’s promise of equal opportunity and justice for all.

At a time when gender- and race-based wage discrimination persist, when complaints of pregnancy discrimination are on the rise, and when women and men of color too often are denied opportunities to advance their careers, confirming a fair and tireless advocate should have been an easy call and a top priority for every senator.

Adegbile is an eminently qualified and well-respected litigator with a deep understanding of and commitment to our nation’s civil rights laws. Through his work in the private and public sectors, and as a leading attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund for a decade, Adegbile has demonstrated his passion for fairness under the law and eradicating discrimination in all its forms. He would have made an exceptional leader of the Civil Rights Division.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is of paramount importance to women and all people who depend on our nation’s fundamental values of fairness and equality, and the laws that help to ensure them. This is a sad day for the country.”