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.[11][12]
González v. Abercrombie & Fitch – in 2004, he represented the EEOC in a lawsuit against retailer Abercrombie & Fitch.[11] 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.[13] The company agreed to a settlement of the class-action suit.[14][15][16]
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law disallowed people from using public bathrooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify; it was repealed in March 2017.[21]
Controversies
On June 10, 2020, Dreiband sent a letter to Montgomery County Maryland executives expressing First Amendment concerns regarding county orders. The letter urges County Executive Elrich and the County Council to ensure that the county's executive orders and enforcement of them respect both the right of residents to assemble and practice their faith. But the letter was based on flawed reporting, which the Justice Department has failed to publicly correct.
The DOJ was trying to make a point about a Black Lives Matter protest organized by high school students on the grounds of the Connie Morella Library in Bethesda on June 2. Dreiband's letter informed County officials that if they were going to support “hundreds of people packed into a library” for a protest, they should be equally supportive of people gathering to worship during the pandemic. But the Connie Morella Library was closed.[22]
Photos captured by local ABC-affiliate WJLA show that the protest was in the library's parking lot. A makeshift lectern for the rally was set up in front of the library's doors, and hundreds of attendees can be seen in photos seated on the ground outside the library. Asked about the discrepancy, a Justice Department spokesperson acknowledged to HuffPost that local Fox News affiliate WTTG had gotten the facts wrong in its story about the protest, though the station has since corrected its report.
The DOJ's original letter containing the claim that hundreds of people packed into the library could still be found on the department's website.[23]
References
^"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.
^"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.
^"Eric Dreiband confirmed as Assistant AG of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division". www.jonesday.com. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
^"PN729 — Eric S. Dreiband — Department of Justice". Congress.gov. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^"UPDATE: Anti-gay lawyer confirmed as head of Justice Department's Civil Rights Division". Metro Weekly. October 11, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
^"The Trump Administration Officials Who Resigned Over Capitol Violence". The New York Times. January 17, 2021. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021.
^Dreiband, Eric. Princeton University. Department of History (ed.). "1961: John Kennedy and the Origins of American Involvement in Vietnam". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^"Meeting of 7-15-09 Bio of Dreiband". www1.eeoc.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
^Cohen, Kelly (June 29, 2017). "White House nominates DC labor lawyer to head civil rights division". Washington Examiner. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^Reinhard, Beth (May 1, 2017). "White House Considers Former EEOC Lawyer for Civil-Rights Post". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
^ a b"Front-runner to lead Justice Department civil rights defended Abercrombie in Supreme Court discrimination case". washingtonpost.com. May 8, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
^"Buddig settles discrimination suit". nwitimes.com. September 9, 2004. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
^"$40 Million Paid to Class Members in December 2005 in Abercrombie & Fitch Discrimination Lawsuit Settlement". Lieff Cabraser. Archived from the original on March 8, 2007.
^"National Clothing Retailer Must Pay For Discrimination" The Defender. Winter 2005, 1. A publication of the NAACP LDF. Description of the settlement of Gonzalez.
^"Abercrombie & Fitch Discrimination Lawsuit Settlement Website". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
^"Complaint, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
^Gregory, Sean (September 23, 2009). "Abercrombie Faces a Muslim-Headscarf Lawsuit". Time. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
^"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.
^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.
^Deena Zaru (July 2017). "Civil rights activists alarmed by Trump's DOJ pick". CNN. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
^"DOJ Spreads Bogus Claim About Maryland Protest In Letter Defending Religious Liberty". HuffPost. June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
^"Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband Sends Letter to Montgomery County Maryland Executives Expressing First Amendment Concerns Regarding County Orders". DOJ. June 11, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.