A state attorney general is expected to be the “people’s lawyer.” William Tong said that when he assumes Connecticut’s attorney general post in January, he’ll look for a new way to advocate for his constituents.
Tong appeared on Connecticut Public Radio’s Where We Live Monday and said he’d ask the General Assembly to give him the power to create a civil rights division within his office.
“When there’s pervasive discrimination, for example in housing, or in the employment market, or if our friends and neighbors in the LGBTQ-plus community are targeted in the private sector, the attorney general should be able to stand up and fight for them and fight for the people of this state,” Tong said.
State governments in Massachusetts and New York have similar commissions that empower attorneys general to enforce the protection of their citizens’ civil rights.
Tong said he’s not only looking for the power to act, but he also wants to access resources and manpower to properly defend the rights of Connecticut residents.
