THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES CLIFFORD GREGORY STEWART AS GENERAL COUNSEL AT THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

The President today announced his intent to recess appoint Clifford Gregory Stewart to serve as General Counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Mr. Stewart was nominated as General Counsel on July 1, 1999.

Mr. Stewart, of Trenton, New Jersey, served as General Counsel of the EEOC from 1995 to June 1999 and has served as Acting General Counsel since then. From 1990-1995, he served as Director of the Division on Civil Rights for the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. From 1984-1990, Mr. Stewart served as the Assistant Deputy Public Advocate at the Department of Public Advocate for New Jersey, where he supervised and conducted complex litigation involving employment, education, and housing issues. He began his career in civil rights as a staff attorney at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C. Mr. Stewart has received numerous honors for his work, including the New Jersey Conference of NAACP Branches' Community Service Award, the Legal Service of New Jersey's Equal Justice Medal and the NIA Award for Distinguished Leadership in Education from the New Jersey Association of Black Educators. In addition, The Rutgers Law School Alumni Association awarded Mr. Stewart The Fannie Bear Besser Award in public service in 1998.

He received B.A. and M.A. degrees in Political Science from Rutgers University and a J.D. degree from the Rutgers University School of Law.

The General Counsel of the EEOC is responsible for the conduct of the Commission's litigation enforcing federal employment discrimination laws. The EEOC currently has close to 600 lawsuits pending in federal district courts and almost 200 matters pending in federal courts of appeals. The President appoints the General Counsel with the advice and consent of the Senate to a four-year term.

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