James Felte
Chief of the Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
2023
Jim Felte is the Chief of the Criminal Section in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As Chief, he is responsible for the nationwide enforcement of the federal criminal civil rights statutes which include: hate crimes, offenses committed under color law, human trafficking, and interference with reproductive health care rights. Mr. Felte has been a career criminal prosecutor for more than 25 years and has investigated and prosecuted numerous criminal civil rights cases. He has conducted extensive trainings for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and victim assistance providers in strategies for investigating, prosecuting, and managing criminal civil rights cases.
Before coming to the Department of Justice, Mr. Felte served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Norfolk, Virginia where he prosecuted a wide range of cases including homicide, sexual assault, robbery, police misconduct, and narcotics trafficking. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Glen M. Williams, U.S. District
At the Summit
The inaugural Eradicate Hate Summit was a truly impressive gathering of leaders dedicated to finding lasting and effective solutions to violent extremism. I was particularly moved by the prominence given to survivors and family members of victims of hate and violence throughout the event. Their stories and those of so many others must be at the center of what we do and why we do it.
