Attorney General Eric Holder Calls Sotomayor’s Affirmative Action Dissent ‘Courageous’
Published at
United States Department of Justice(WASHINGTON) — Attorney General Eric Holder praised Tuesday’s dissent by Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor in the Michigan college admissions case, calling it “courageous and very personal.”
Speaking at a Department of Justice diversity and inclusion summit on Wednesday, Holder explained that despite great strides toward equality, there is still more work to be done.
“It may be tempting for some when they look at the accomplished professionals in this room, or the lawyer who works in the Oval Office, or consider the fact that I have the privilege of serving as the attorney general of the United States, to feel that this country’s long struggle to overcome disparity and discrimination has ended,” Holder said.
Government agencies need to lead by example for equal opportunity, he added, saying progress requires “not just open and honest dialogue, but a willingness to confront these difficult issues through principled action.”
Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling upheld Michigan’s voter-approved ban on affirmative action programs in its public colleges. In her dissent, Sotomayor spoke from personal experience, saying affirmative action “opened doors” in her life.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio