As reported on NPR, Leslie Hagen was hired in 2006 for a job in the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, where she was the liaison between the main Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys' committee on Native American affairs. She has been described by the committee chairman as "the best qualified person in the nation to fill that job." Hagen's performance evaluations had the highest possible ratings — "outstanding" in each of five categories.
The job had to be renewed each year. After the first year, Hagen was surprised to hear that she would have to move on. It seems that Monica Goodling (senior counsel to Gonzales) had heard a rumor that Hagen was gay and removed her from the job, even though discrimination based on sexual orientation is against the deparment's rules. Not content with removing her from that job, Goodling also blocked her from getting any other job in the Justice Department.
Remember Goodling from the Congressional hearings on politicization of the Justice Department? She admitted under oath that she had "crossed the line" in her hiring proceedures, and she resigned. Evidence showed that she had packed the department's career positions with Pat Robertson's Liberty Law School grads, and that new graduates from Yale and Harvard Law Schools were routinely passed over even for interviews.
Hagen's old job came open again last year. After a national search and several rounds of interviews, Hagen was given her old job back. Only this time, it is a permanent job that won't be subject to renewal each year.
This violation was so blatant, and garned such publicity during the hearings, that even the Republicans had to correct it -- well, not exactly. They didn't reinstate her but allowed her to compete again for the job. As shocking as such discrimination seems today, this is what gay people faced routinely until very recently. And in many states, it is still perfectly legal to do so.
Cleaning up the mess has only just begun. But it has begun. At last.
Ralph
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