State Attorney General Stanley Mosk has established a new section of his office, to be known as the Constitutional Rights section, to stiffen enforcement of the State’s civil rights legislation.
The Attorney General pointed out in a statement that “protection of rights is as much a responsibility of our office as aiding in the prosecution of violations of the law. ” The new section, he said, would make the Attorney General’s office “more sensitive and responsive to the needs of our citizens. “
The fourfold functions of the new section will be to investigate and report on alleged infringement of the civil rights of any persons or groups in the state, to institute or to intervene as friend of the court in civil and criminal actions as required to serve as mediator in order to prevent infringement of civil rights of individuals or groups, and to work closely with the Fair Employment Practices Commission “to help achieve the legislative objectives.”
Judge Mosk commented that “while the general state of civil liberties in California is good, there is room for substantial improvement. ” He named Franklin H. Williams, until now West Coast counsel for the NAACP, to head the new office. Judge Mosk is a former president of the Los Angeles Jewish community.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
