View source for Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board

{{use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name            = Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board
| type            = [[Independent agencies of the United States government|Independent agency]]
| formed          = 2019
| jurisdiction    = [[Government of the United States]]
| budget          = $1m [[USD]] (2021)
}}

The '''Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board''' is an independent agency tasked with reviewing and authorizing for public release investigative records concerning unsolved and unresolved civil rights violations that occurred between 1940 and 1979. Established in 2019, the board is authorized for up to 7 years, and authorization may be extended for an additional year by board vote.

== History ==
The board was established upon the passing of the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018, which was signed into law by President [[Donald Trump]] in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Doug|date=2019-01-08|title=S.3191 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3191|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.congress.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='The clock is ticking': White House under pressure to reopen Civil Rights-era cold cases |first=Bryan |last=Bender |date=2020-07-20 |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/20/white-house-civil-rights-cold-case-372863 |access-date=2021-10-19 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref> The Act was originally drafted by students at Hightstown High School in New Jersey with an early version introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush from Chicago. After additional outreach and lobbying efforts by other cohorts of Highstown High School students, Senators [[Ted Cruz]], [[Doug Jones (politician)|Doug Jones]] introduced and sponsored the Senate version, which ultimately became law.<ref name="2021-02-19">{{Cite web |title=Empty Board Hampers Effort to Release Records on Civil Rights-Era Killings |first=Daniel |last=Jackson |date=2021-02-19 |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/empty-board-hampers-effort-to-release-records-on-civil-rights-era-killings/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-10-19 |website=Courthouse News Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219173512/https://www.courthousenews.com/empty-board-hampers-effort-to-release-records-on-civil-rights-era-killings/ |archive-date=2021-02-19}}</ref> After the bill was signed, the board was not staffed until February 2022, when a slate of board members nominated by President [[Joe Biden]] was confirmed by the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]].<ref name="2022-04-05">{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/cold-case-records |title=Senate Approves Nominees for Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board |first=Shawn |last=Morton |date=2022-04-05 |publisher=U.S. National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=2022-09-29}}</ref>

While the board was originally authorized for up to 4 years, due to the 3-year gap between the formation of the board and the confirmation of its first slate of members, government observers warned that the board would not have enough time to carry out its intended function.<ref name="2021-02-19" /><ref name="2022-04-09">{{cite web |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/newly-formed-board-to-review-civil-rights-era-cold-cases-faces-time-crunch/ |title=Newly formed board to review Civil Rights-era cold cases faces time crunch |first=Daniel |last=Jackson |date=2022-04-09 |website=Courthouse News Service |access-date=2022-09-29}}</ref> To address this, Senators [[Jon Ossoff]] and [[Ted Cruz]] submitted a bill in February 2022 to extend the board's mandate through 2027; the bill was signed into law in December 2022 by President [[Joe Biden]].<ref name="2022-04-09" /><ref>{{cite web |first=Jon |last=Ossoff |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3655 |title=S.3655 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Civil Rights Cold Case Investigations Support Act of 2022 |date=2022-09-28 |website=www.congress.gov |access-date=2022-09-29}}</ref>

== Membership ==
In June 2021, [[Clayborne Carson]], Gabrielle Dudley, [[Hank Klibanoff]], and [[Margaret Burnham]] became the first nominees to the board.<ref name="2021-06-12">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-12 |title=White House names nominees for Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board |first=Matthew |last=Allen |url=https://thegrio.com/2021/06/12/civil-rights-cold-case-review-nominees/ |access-date=2021-10-19 |website=TheGrio |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-16 |title=President Joe Biden nominates Northeastern civil rights lawyer Margaret Burnham for Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board |first=Molly |last=Callahan |url=https://news.northeastern.edu/2021/06/16/president-joe-biden-nominates-northeastern-civil-rights-lawyer-margaret-burnham-for-civil-rights-cold-case-records-review-board/ |access-date=2021-10-19 |website=News @ Northeastern |language=en-US}}</ref> In October 2021, [[Brenda Elaine Stevenson]] was also nominated to serve on the board.<ref name="2021-06-12" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-19|title=President Biden Announces Key Nominations|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/19/president-biden-announces-key-nominations-6/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=The White House|language=en-US}}</ref> Carson's nomination was withdrawn by the White House on January 7, 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nominations Sent to the Senate |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/07/nominations-sent-to-the-senate-55/ |website=The White House |date=7 January 2022 |access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref>

Dudley, Klibanoff, Burnham, and Stevenson were all confirmed via voice vote on February 17, 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=PN719 — Gabrielle M. Dudley — Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board 117th Congress (2021-2022) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/719 |website=US Congress |date=17 February 2022 |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PN720 — Henry Klibanoff — Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board 117th Congress (2021-2022) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/720 |website=US Congress |date=17 February 2022 |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PN717 — Margaret A. Burnham — Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board 117th Congress (2021-2022) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/717 |website=US Congress |date=February 17, 2022 |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PN1292 — Brenda E. Stevenson — Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board 117th Congress (2021-2022) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/1292 |website=US Congress |date=17 February 2022 |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref> There is one open seat on the board.<ref name="2022-04-05"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Position
!Assumed office
|-
|Gabrielle Dudley
|Member
|February 17, 2022
|-
|[[Hank Klibanoff]]
|Member
|February 17, 2022
|-
|[[Margaret Burnham]]
|Member
|February 17, 2022
|-
|[[Brenda Elaine Stevenson]]
|Member
|February 17, 2022
|-
|TBA
|Member
|{{center|—}}
|}

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Independent agencies of the United States government]]


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