Eric Dreiband

Eric Stefan Dreiband (born September 23, 1963) is an American lawyer. While a partner at Jones Day,[3] he was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.[4] The Senate confirmed his appointment on October 11, 2018.[5]

Eric Dreiband
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division
Incumbent
Assumed office October 12, 2018
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	John M. Gore
General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
In office 2003–2005
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Clifford Gregory Stewart[1]
Succeeded by	Ronald S. Cooper[2]
Personal details
Born	Eric Stefan Dreiband (1963-09-23) September 23, 1963 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Education	Princeton University (BA) Harvard University (MTS) Northwestern University (JD)

Early life and education

Dreiband graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in history in 1986 after completing a 120-page long senior thesis titled "1961: John Kennedy and the Origins of American Involvement in Vietnam."[6] He then earned a Master of Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School. He earned his Juris Doctor from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Career

Upon graduating from law school, Dreiband served as a law clerk to Judge William Joseph Bauer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Following his clerkship, Dreiband served in the Independent Counsel's office for the Whitewater controversy. After a stint in private practice, Dreiband served in the administration of George W. Bush as deputy administrator of the United States Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) from 2002 to 2003 and as general counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 2003 to 2005. He again returned to private practice in 2005 and joined Jones Day in 2008.[7][8][9]

Notable cases

Dreiband takes oath as EEOC General Counsel in 2003

• In 2002, Dreiband was part of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) team that sued Chicago meat processing company Carl Buddig & Co. for not hiring black people at its Chicago and South Holland meat processing plants and for limiting higher pay opportunities for women. The company settled and agreed to pay US$2.5 million and reform its hiring practices.[10][11]
• González v. Abercrombie & Fitch – in 2004, he represented the EEOC in a lawsuit against retailer Abercrombie & Fitch.[10] The company was accused of discriminating against African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and women by preferentially offering floor sales positions and store management positions to white males.[12] The company agreed to a settlement of the class-action suit.[13][14][15]
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores – he represented Abercrombie & Fitch in a lawsuit filed in 2009 in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[16] In June 2008, 17-year-old Samantha Elauf, who wears a hijab due to her religious beliefs, applied for a sales position at an Abercrombie Kids store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She claimed the manager told her the headscarf violates the store's "Look Policy".[17] The United States Supreme Court ruled 8–1 against the company in 2015.[18][19]
• In 2016, Dreiband defended the University of North Carolina in its choice to abide by the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act that had been passed earlier that year. The statewide law disallowed people from using public bathrooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify; it was repealed in March 2017.[20]

References

1. "PN288 - Nomination of Eric S. Dreiband for Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 108th Congress (2003-2004)". www.congress.gov. July 31, 2003. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
2. "PN1402 - Nomination of Ronald S. Cooper for Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 109th Congress (2005-2006)". www.congress.gov. July 26, 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
3. "Eric Dreiband confirmed as Assistant AG of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division". www.jonesday.com. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
4. "PN729 — Eric S. Dreiband — Department of Justice". Congress.gov. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
5. "UPDATE: Anti-gay lawyer confirmed as head of Justice Department's Civil Rights Division". Metro Weekly. October 11, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
6. Dreiband, Eric. Princeton University. Department of History (ed.). "1961: John Kennedy and the Origins of American Involvement in Vietnam". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
7. "Meeting of 7-15-09 Bio of Dreiband". www1.eeoc.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
8. Cohen, Kelly (June 29, 2017). "White House nominates DC labor lawyer to head civil rights division". Washington Examiner. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
9. Reinhard, Beth (May 1, 2017). "White House Considers Former EEOC Lawyer for Civil-Rights Post". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
10. "Front-runner to lead Justice Department civil rights defended Abercrombie in Supreme Court discrimination case". washingtonpost.com. May 8, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
11. "Buddig settles discrimination suit". nwitimes.com. September 9, 2004. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
12. "$40 Million Paid to Class Members in December 2005 in Abercrombie & Fitch Discrimination Lawsuit Settlement". Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007.
13. "National Clothing Retailer Must Pay For Discrimination" The Defender. Winter 2005, 1. A publication of the NAACP LDF. Description of the settlement of Gonzalez.
14. Greenhouse, Steven (November 17, 2004). "Abercrombie & Fitch Bias Case Is Settled". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
15. "Abercrombie & Fitch Discrimination Lawsuit Settlement Website". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
16. "Complaint, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc" (PDF). PacerMonitor. PacerMonitor. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
17. Gregory, Sean (September 23, 2009). "Abercrombie Faces a Muslim-Headscarf Lawsuit". Time. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
18. "Supreme Court To Hear Case Of Muslim Who Says Abercrombie & Fitch Denied Her Job Because Of Hijab". The Huffington Post. February 19, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
19. de Vogue, Ariane (June 1, 2015). "SCOTUS rules in favor of Muslim woman in suit against Abercrombie and Fitch over head covering". CNN. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
20. Deena Zaru. "Civil rights activists alarmed by Trump's DOJ pick". CNN. Retrieved January 19, 2019.

External links

• Biography at Jones Day

Legal offices
Preceded by Clifford Gregory Stewart	General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2003–2005	Succeeded by Ronald S. Cooper
Preceded by Tom Perez	United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division 2018–present	Incumbent