"The 2007 changes to these programs represent another step in the department's multi-year effort to enhance these prestigious programs," Justice Department spokesperson Dean Boyd says. The "changes" are outlined in a memo distributed on Thursday. (Was the Friday news dump bin already full?)
According to Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein of WaPo:
The Justice Department is removing political appointees from the hiring process for rookie lawyers and summer interns, amid allegations that the Bush administration had rigged the programs in favor of candidates with connections to conservative or Republican groups, according to documents and officials.
Well dang.
Apparently, there was a major dust-up in early December, when staff members loudly complained about Paul McNulty's efforts to shut out Democratic and/or liberal applicants, and shift hires to religious zealots. All the Gonzales nonsense has created "a perception," implies Boyd (ahem), that hiring has been politically-driven. No no!
"The Justice Department does not, nor has it ever, solicited any information from applicants . . . about their political affiliation or orientation," said Justice spokesman Dean Boyd.
Of course not, of course not. Far be from us to suggest such a thing...
One of his interviewers, [Civil Rights dept. hire, and Regent grad Bill] Condon wrote, suggested that, coming from Regent, "I may be interested in some religious liberties cases" the civil rights division was bringing in a new area of emphasis for the division.