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March 31, 2009

White House makes Marylander's nomination official

President Barack Obama's nomination of Maryland Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez to a top Justice department position has officially been sent to the Senate, the White House press secretary's office announced Tuesday afternoon.

Perez, who is Obama's pick to be the nation's top civil rights enforcer, faces likely opposition from conservatives, who have already begun criticizing his past positions on issues such as affirmative action.

Conservative columnist Linda Chavez, the unsuccessful Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Maryland against Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski in 1986, recently took aim at Perez over race-based medical school admissions. Chavez criticized a 2006 law review article by Perez for the University of Maryland's Journal of Health Care Law and Policy in which, she said, he argued for "explicit race-conscious admissions policies for medical school."

Perez has yet to begin making rounds of courtesy calls on members of the Senate, who are to consider his nomination as assistant Attorney General for civil rights, according to a spokeswoman for Democratic Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland.

Cardin, a member of the Judiciary committee, hopes to chair Perez's confirmation hearing later this spring. No date has been set yet.

Posted by Paul West at 4:55 PM | | Comments (0)
        

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About the bloggers
Laura Smitherman has been ensconced in the State House basement, writing about the governor, General Assembly and vagaries of Maryland politics for several years. An erstwhile business reporter, her interest in politics dates to her days in Washington when she covered Congress and national campaigns for another media outlet. She now follows a range of policy debates from slot-machine gambling to universal health care and energy regulation, while keeping an eye on the next election.

Paul West covers Washington for The Baltimore Sun, continuing a tradition that began the month the paper was born, in 1837. He hasn't been in the DC bureau that long--only since Ronald Reagan was president. He's covered Congress, the White House and presidential campaigns as the paper's national political correspondent and Washington bureau chief. He's on the lookout for news of significance to Sun readers at the other end of the B/W Parkway. That includes the activities of the state's congressional delegation and anything else that might shed some light on the inner workings of the nation's capital.

Julie Bykowicz's first days as a political reporter, in January 2009, coincided with Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's indictment and the start of the Maryland General Assembly's 426th legislative session. She focuses on coverage of state agencies, such as social services, juvenile justice and prisons. During the session, she wrote about the death penalty, slots parlors and speed cameras, among other hot topics. Julie began political reporting after more than seven years on The Baltimore Sun's crime desk. She lives in Baltimore and works primarily in Annapolis.

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