Ex-Justice Department lawyer says Black Panther case shows rights of white voters are ignored

Ex-Justice Dept lawyer says whites’ rights ignored

PHILADELPHIA — A former Justice Department lawyer accuses his ex-superiors of ignoring white voters’ rights in the case of black radicals charged with voter intimidation in Philadelphia.

Witnesses say two members of the New Black Panther Party threatened white voters on Election Day 2008. One of the men carried a nightstick.

The U.S. Justice Department dropped most charges against the men and their organization, citing a lack of evidence. The man with the nightstick was the only one prosecuted.

J. Christian Adams, one of the lawyers who filed suit against the men, criticizes that decision. He says it’s part of a pattern where the Justice Department declines to prosecute blacks for voting discrimination against whites.

Department spokesman Tracy Schmaler says the law is enforced equally for everyone. She says the charges were dropped because they were not supported by the facts or the law.