"i believe that we can pass laws and craft policies that embody our highest ideals," attorney general loretta lynch said. | getty by josh gerstein 11/15/16 05:46 pm est attorney general loretta lynch is urging president-elect donald trump to keep up the obama administration's drive to increase the fairness of the justice system in dealing with minorities and the poor. with trump's election fanning concerns about hate crimes and a potential rollback in civil rights protections, lynch argued in a speech tuesday that trump's team should maintain the justice department's focus on combating bail and fine policies that have turned the poor into a source of cash for some communities. story continued below "bringing justice to those who feel excluded and left behind is one of the great civil rights challenges of our times. and the work to meet that challenge begun under this administration must continue into the next," lynch said, never mentioning trump by name. "regardless of our political beliefs, we should be able to agree, as americans, that poverty is not a crime. we should be able to agree, as americans, that justice is not a commodity to be bought and sold. we should be able to agree, as americans, that the law should empower the most vulnerable <u+2014> not oppress them." lynch's call for trump to carry on the obama administration's criminal justice agenda seems like wishful thinking. during the campaign, trump advocated a return to more aggressive anti-crime techniques, like widespread use of stop-and-frisk techniques to try to stamp out inner-city violence. while sometimes expressing concern about shootings of minorities by police, he more often complained that police were not being adequately supported and he repeatedly stoked fear of crime by suggesting that u.s. cities are awash in violence. despite trump's stance, some in republican ranks including billionaire businessmen charles and david koch, have been pressing for compromise with democrats on criminal justice reform. legislation to rein in mandatory minimum sentences and to make other changes advanced in both chambers in the past year or so, but senate republican leaders backed away from final action on a bill in recent months, concerned in part about tension with trump's vows to restore "law and order." lynch, the first african-american woman to serve as attorney general, seemed to hedge her bets on trump tuesday by also calling on the lawyers in the audience at d.c.'s main federal courthouse to keep the pressure on against discrimination and in favor of a broad vision of justice. "i believe that we can pass laws and craft policies that embody our highest ideals. but that will not happen automatically. it never has. it will only happen if people like you and i continue fighting for our nation<u+2019>s oldest principles and its highest ideals. i urge you to do just that," lynch said, according to a prepared text of her remarks. "i urge you to use your positions of authority and influence to write and to speak on behalf of the voiceless and the marginalized. devote yourself to making justice a fact for those who until now have only known it as a myth. give some of your time to pro bono causes and challenge your colleagues to do the same. if you are a professor, impress upon your students the urgency of this cause.....justice is not a luxury for a few but the birthright of all." by thomas wright by bill scher by joshua zeitz by jack shafer
lynch urges trump to press on with criminal justice reform - politico
josh gerstein jack shafer