US Senate blocks Obama’s civil rights nominee

Senate blocks Debo Adegbile to lead DOJ's civil rights division, 47 to 52. 1st defeat of Obama pick under new procedures.

US Senate on Wednesday, filibustered President Obama’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division, with seven Democrats joining Republicans in arguing his past history defending a convicted cop-killer made him the wrong man for the job.

Debo P. Adegbile, who as a lawyer for the NAACP filed a brief arguing that former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal’s murder trial was tainted by racism, is a major blow to Mr. Obama.