Biography

Kristen Clarke served as the 19th Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice between 2021 and 2025.  In this role, she led enforcement of federal civil rights laws across the country. Under her leadership, the Division established new enforcement records for prosecutions of hate crimes, and law enforcement misconduct cases, and achieved groundbreaking results in areas including redlining, disability rights, education, fair housing, voting rights and more. Clarke’s tenure brought renewed focus on victims and survivors of violence. She supervised successful prosecutions of defendants tied to the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tyre Nichols and many others. 

Before her confirmation as Assistant Attorney General, Clarke served as the President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She also held leadership roles at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the New York State Attorney General’s Office. A lifelong civil rights lawyer, Clarke began her career as a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Clarke is a frequent public speaker who has helped to shape the national dialogue around issues of civil and constitutional rights, and race and democracy. She has also written several law review articles, and edited two books. She also serves as a Distinguished Lecturer of Civil Rights at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Clarke is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School. She holds an honorary degree from Tougaloo College.