Panel Turns Down Reagan Choice as Rights Enforcer

The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, bowing to objections from civil rights activists, voted 10 to 5 today to kill the nomination of Jeffrey Zuckerman as chief enforcement officer of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Three Republican members of the committee, Sens. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Lowell P. Weicker of Connecticut and Robert T. Stafford of Vermont, joined the panel’s seven Democrats in voting against the nomination.

Sen. Paula Hawkins (R-Fla.) abstained.

Zuckerman, who was nominated by President Reagan last fall, was criticized by civil rights advocates as being uninterested in enforcement of the civil rights statutes. He is chief of staff to EEOC Chairman Clarence Thomas.

Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) said that, although Zuckerman said he would be committed to civil rights enforcement, “his actions belie his words.”

“It’s astounding the Administration would nominate someone who has never litigated” a civil rights case, Metzenbaum said.

During his confirmation hearing in March, Zuckerman acknowledged that he has a “fundamental disagreement” with civil rights groups because of his opposition to goals and timetables in the workplace.

But he pledged that as general counsel he would “litigate every case” to protect actual victims of job discrimination.