The committee will have the same chairman as last year, Rep. William Goodling (R-Pa.), and the same phone number, (202) 225-4527.

Justice leaders Oppose Proposition 209

The U.S. Justice Department plans to join the legal battle against California's anti-affirmative action statute as part of a new effort to expand civil-rights efforts.

Justice attorneys will file motions supporting critics of California's Proposition 209, according to Myron Marlin, a department spokesman. No timetable has been set for the legal appeal of the referendum California voters approved last fall. Some observers believe the legal battle on the referendum, called the California Civil Rights Initiative, could take years.

Proposition 209 bans the use of race-based affirmative action in the state. A California judge recently halted enforcement of the measure pending legal action to determine whether it is constitutional.

The department signaled its intentions as Attorney General Janet Reno also pledged to expand Justice's support for civil rights.

"I fear that what national consensus we have on civil rights may be at risk of unraveling," Reno said in a speech at a Washington, D.C., church on Jan. 15, the birthday of slain civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reno criticized Proposition 209 and similar plans as "misguided," noting that African Americans and Hispanics still have trouble gaining admission to college, renting an apartment or getting a job.

The Justice Department is expected to get new civil-rights personnel for the president's second term. Deval Patrick, the assistant secretary for civil rights, left the administration in late January.

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