December 16, 2004, 16:05

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Black farmers on Thursday called on the Justice Department to review thousands of their claims under a landmark $2.3 billion civil rights settlement, after a former government employee involved in the case was charged with practicing law without a license.

The National Black Farmers Association said Margaret O'Shea was not a licensed attorney when she reviewed claims from black farmers seeking compensation for decades of racial discrimination by the U.S. Agriculture Department.

"I think it's a crying shame the government would put an unlicensed attorney on the case," said John Boyd, the group's president. "All those cases need to be reviewed."

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.

Enda Brennan, a California criminal defense attorney representing O'Shea, said his client did not perform any work at the Justice Department that required a law license. He said O'Shea no longer works for the federal government and was currently unemployed.

In 1999 under the Clinton administration, the federal government agreed to pay black farmers for past racial discrimination that shut them out of billions of dollars in federal subsidies. The government agreed to pay at least $50,000 to each eligible black farmer.

However, the government has rejected thousands of claims due to insufficient documentation and missed filing deadlines, according to the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, which has supported full compensation to black farmers.

The USDA has paid black farmers $800 million of the $2.3 billion settlement, the environmental group said.