The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Perez has spent the bulk of his career in public service, having worked for 12 years in the division and serving as a deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights under Attorney General Janet Reno. He has served as the Maryland Secretary of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation since January 2007.

The Civil Rights Division was widely considered the premier civil rights enforcement agency, as it handled most federal anti-discrimination litigation.  However, in recent years the division has been plagued with controversy over political interference in its hiring policies and its inadequate enforcement of civil rights laws, diminishing its impact as a federal enforcement agency.

As the new assistant attorney general for civil rights, Perez will take on the task of rebuilding the morale within division and renewing its commitment to working to enforce the civil rights of all Americans.

"We in the civil rights community have the utmost confidence in his ability and commitment to this mission, and we look forward to a revitalization of the Civil Rights Division that works to ensure that all Americans are protected under the law," Henderson said.