Greensboro’s Lynch waits for a vote

Despite considerable qualifications and more than 130 days of waiting, U.S. Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch is still unconfirmed by the U.S. Senate — and her supporters want an explanation.

North Carolina Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis voted against Lynch in the 12-8 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm her nomination. Burr and Tillis have stated their opposition stems from Lynch’s position on North Carolina’s voter ID law.

Lynch, a Greensboro native, said in a 2014 speech that the N.C. voter ID requirements — which will be effective in 2016 and require a government-issued photo ID at the polls — are an example of a move against civil rights.

“I’m proud to tell you that the Department of Justice has looked at these laws, looked at what’s happening in the deep South, in my home state of North Carolina, has brought lawsuits against those voting rights changes that seek to limit our ability to stand up and exercise our rights as citizens,” she said.

She also lauded the accomplishments of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. in resisting oppression.

“We stand in this country at a time when we see people trying to take back so much of what Dr. King fought for,” she said.

Tillis said in a statement that while he respects Lynch, he cannot support her given her stances on the voter ID law — which Tillis helped pass as N.C. speaker of the house — as well as her agreement with President Barack Obama’s use of executive action during his presidency.

Lynch is the current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and has undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University — and if confirmed, she’ll be the first black woman to serve as attorney general.

Lynch’s supporters have said she is qualified for the job, while her detractors, including a long list of Republican lawmakers, have resisted her confirmation due to her support for Obama’s executive actions — including a move to address illegal immigration last fall.

Lynch’s race and gender have also been brought up during the nomination process. On Tuesday a group from the N.C. NAACP, which included the Rev. William Barber, head of the state’s chapter, and Moore County chapter president O’Linda Gillis, spoke to Tillis and Burr to express disapproval of their committee votes.

The group shared their concerns that there could be race- or gender-based reasons for why Lynch’s confirmation was being resisted.

“While we remain concerned with Ms. Lynch’s stated desire to lead the Department of Justice in the same manner as Eric Holder and will not be supporting her nomination, we are grateful that the group came to Washington to talk about this issue and exchange ideas,” Burr said in a statement on Tuesday.

Lynch would replace Eric Holder, who has served for the first six years of Obama’s administration and was the first African-American to hold the attorney general post.

It remains to be seen how the vote before the entire Senate will go — and it’s unclear when it will take place.

Chapel Hill High School student Elena Thorpe attended the Tuesday meeting with Burr and Tillis, and she said the situation in the room was tense.

“They did not answer our questions, they were extremely rude to everyone, they berated anyone who was questioning them,” she said.

state@dailytarheel.com