New York Times, In Shift, Justice Department is Hiring Lawyers With Civil Rights Backgrounds:

The New York Times analyzed the résumés — obtained via the Freedom of Information Act — of successful applicants to the [DOG Civil Rights] division’s voting rights, employment discrimination, and appellate sections. The documents showed that the Obama-era hires were more likely to have had experience in civil rights, and they graduated from more selective law schools, than those hired over the final six years of the Bush administration.

Specifically, about 90% of the Obama-era hires listed civil rights backgrounds on their résumés, up from about 38% of the Bush group hires. (There were about 47 Obama-era hires and about 72 in the last six years of the Bush administration.)

Moreover, the Obama-era hires graduated from law schools that had an average ranking of 28, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Bush group had a lower average ranking, 42.

At the same time, there was a change in the political leanings of organizations listed on the résumés, where discernible. Nearly a quarter of the hires of the Bush group had conservative credentials like membership in the Federalist Society or the Republican National Lawyers Association, while only 7% had liberal ones.

By contrast, during the first two Obama years, none of the new hires listed conservative organizations, while more than 60% had liberal credentials. They consisted overwhelmingly of prior employment or internships with a traditional civil rights group, like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

(Hat Tip: Adam Steinman.)