Six months after the Senate voted to block him, Debo Adegbile has withdrawn his name for the head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The Obama administration’s nomination of Adegbile drew bipartisan opposition because of controversy over his past work.

In March, eight Democrats joined Republicans in voting against Adegbile’s appointment to lead the important division, following vocal opposition by Pennsylvania’s senators, Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Pat Toomey. Casey and Toomey raised concerns about Adegbile’s work as president and chief counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where he worked to overturn Abu-Jamal’s death sentence for killing a Philadelphia police officer.

On Monday, Adegbile announced he has joined a private firm, WilmerHale, and will no longer seek a position in the DOJ. The administration confirmed his withdrawal and said it will offer a new nominee.