WASHINGTON (NNPA)�In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the need to protect national security has superceded any interest in civil rights at a time those rights are coming under increasing attack, concludes a report by the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights.

"The urgent need to protect national security and combat terrorism understandably became all-consuming and seemed to blot out other concerns," notes the commission in a 350-page report titled, "Rights at Risk: Equality in an Age of Terrorism." The commission was established in 1982 to monitor the civil rights practices of the federal government.

Its report noted, "Now, as the Bush Administration enters its second year, an economic decline and domestic tax policies may curtail government resources needed to combat discrimination and to provide assistance to the disadvantaged.

"Racial and other forms of discrimination appear to have faded from national consciousness, even as remedies for denials of equal opportunity receive unfriendly attention from the courts and the executive branch."

The report covers such important issues as criminal justice, the digital divide, housing segregation, political participation and diversity in higher education.

"Perhaps the most far-reaching assault on civil rights remedy is the judiciary�s dismantling of the principles of affirmative action previous decisions�the idea as expressed by former Justice Harry Blackmun that �in order to get beyond race, we must first take race into account,�" the report observes.

"Taking its cue from the five-Justice majority that has ruled against race-conscious action in several cases, some lower courts have gone even further to strike down voluntary efforts by colleges and universities to pursue policies of diversity and inclusiveness in admitting students," it says.

By limiting desegregation efforts at the elementary and secondary level, the report said, the Supreme Court has "closed the books on court-order desegregation." Some federal courts have even prohibited some school officials from voluntarily seeking to end racial isolation in public schools.

As a result of these actions, America is quickly resegregating its schools.

The commission says that if the judges Pres. Bush seeks to appoint to the federal bench are confirmed, less sensitive judicial decisions will increase.

"� Mr. Bush�s open and positive views stand in stark contrast to the declared agenda of the core of his political party," the report observes. "That core seems determined, with the President�s concurrence, to reshape the federal courts so as to undo the civil rights and social justice gains of the last half of the 20th century."

To reverse these trends, the commission recommends that Pres. Bush require all judicial nominees to have "a demonstrated commitment to equal justice under law." During the confirmation process, Senators should "thoroughly review the President�s nominees, especially nominations to the appellate courts" to make sure they fit that bill.

The problem with some Bush appointments is that he has appointed "persons opposed to the very laws they would be charged with enforcing." Pres. Bush should appoint a person in the White House to be responsible for civil rights and have that person report directly to the president, the report urges.

Like many of the various commissions appointed to study voter abuses during the last presidential election, the commission made a number of recommendations for improving the electoral process, including requiring states to ensure ballot access, as well as maintaining a computerized state-wide voter registration list, allowing challenged voters to cast a provisional ballot and making certain non-English speakers and people with disabilities be given full access to polling places.