Newly disclosed details reveal the Bush administration used a controversial maneuver to stack the nation's top racism and discrimination panel with conservative members.

The eight-member U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has long been staffed equally with members of both major political parties. Critics say Bush in effect installed a fifth and sixth Republican on the panel in December 2004 after two commissioners, both Republicans when appointed, re-registered as independents. The day before Bush made the new appointments, the Department of Justice approved the move in a memo to White House counsel Alberto Gonzales's office.

After the changes, the agency cancelled a slew of planned evaluations supported by civil rights groups. These included assessing the budget for civil rights enforcement, financial aid to minorities, and whether inaccurate census collection has deprived non-white areas of entitled federal spending.

Charlie Savage is the national legal affairs reporter for the Boston Globe. He broke the story. Charlie is the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his work on presidential signing statements. He is the author of "Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy."

• Charlie Savage, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. Savage covers national legal affairs for the Boston Globe. He is the author of "Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy."

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