31 Facts About Kristen Clarke

Kristen M Clarke was born on 1975 and is an American attorney who served as the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice from 2021 to 2025.

Kristen Clarke managed the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office under Eric Schneiderman.

Kristen Clarke made history as the first woman confirmed to lead the Civil Rights Division.

Kristen Clarke has said that she "grew up in a household that was about discipline, working hard in school and about making the most of every opportunity".

Kristen Clarke was a member of Prep for Prep, a non-profit organization that looks to support students of color in accessing private school education.

Kristen Clarke attended Choate Rosemary Hall, where she was the only girl to join the boys' wrestling squad.

Kristen Clarke earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, where she was president of the Black Students Association.

Kristen Clarke graduated from Harvard in 1997, then earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2000.

In 2006, Kristen Clarke joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where she co-led the political participation group and focused on voting rights and election law reform.

In 2011, Kristen Clarke was appointed director of the civil rights bureau of then-Attorney General of New York Eric Schneiderman, where she led initiatives on criminal justice issues and housing discrimination.

In 2015, Kristen Clarke was appointed president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

In 2019, Kristen Clarke represented Taylor Dumpson, the first African American woman student body president of American University, in her lawsuit against avowed neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin, who initiated a racist "troll storm" against her, making her fear for her life and disrupting her ability to pursue her education.

Kristen Clarke successfully fought for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to recognize that hateful online trolling can interfere with access to public accommodation, as well as securing damages and a restraining order.

Kristen Clarke has advocated for passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Kristen Clarke sued the United States Postal Service during the pandemic because of delays with ballots.

Kristen Clarke appears with Stacey Abrams in the 2020 documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy.

Kristen Clarke secured agreements with bus companies, major retailers, movie theatres, theatre clubs, and polling sites.

Kristen Clarke supported a legal effort behind Cesar Vargas who became the first illegal immigrant to carry a law license in New York.

Kristen Clarke successfully sued the Trump administration when it tried to revoke Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberian Americans.

Kristen Clarke supported Facebook's extension of its ban on hate speech to prohibit the promotion and support of white nationalism and white separatism.

Kristen Clarke's advocacy led to a temporary shutdown of the Stormfront website, a white supremacist website.

Kristen Clarke sued the Proud Boys after they attacked the Metropolitan AME Church and other churches in Washington, DC A Black Lives Matter banner was stolen from the church and burned during a pro-Trump march on December 12,2020.

Kristen Clarke exposed a member of the Proud Boys inside the East Hampton Police Department in Connecticut.

Kristen Clarke has fought for passage of the federal Anti-Lynching Prevention Law.

Kristen Clarke's nomination was supported by law enforcement organizations, Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, Justice Department alumni from Republican and Democratic administrations, Republican officials, dozens of managing partners of corporate law firms, General Counsels of Fortune 500 corporations, hate crime survivors, and others.

Kristen Clarke had support from public figures such as Michael Bloomberg, Lilly Ledbetter and Michael Chertoff.

Four days later, Tucker Carlson and Fox News revealed a letter Kristen Clarke wrote to The Harvard Crimson as an undergraduate claiming that Blacks had "superior physical and mental abilities" due to their higher levels of melanin.

Former presidents of Harvard's Black Students Association defended Kristen Clarke for considering Melanin theory worthy of inquiry.

On June 25,2021, it was reported that Kristen Clarke would be joining Vanita Gupta in suing the State of Georgia over the Election Integrity Act of 2021 that the state passed into law.

In 2024, it was reported that Kristen Clarke was a victim and survivor of years-long domestic violence.

Kristen Clarke disclosed that this period "was a terrorizing and traumatizing period".