| Attorney General Nominee John Ashcroft Confirmation
John Ashcroft of Missouri was confirmed as Attorney General on February 1, 2001 by a vote of 58 to 42 (www.senate.gov/legislative/vote1071/vote_00008.html). After hearing of his confirmation Ashcroft stated that he was " grateful to the President and the United States Senate for the opportunity to serve the American people as Attorney General. I am committed to preserving the special history of the Department of Justice by actively confronting injustice. Let me send a clear message today, I will confront injustice by leading a professional Justice Department that is free from politics; that is uncompromisingly fair; a Department defined by integrity and dedicated to upholding the rule of law. The Justice Department will vigorously enforce the law guaranteeing rights for the advancement of all Americans. As a strong advocate of affirmative action, reproductive health and rights, and non-discrimination on the basis of race or sexual orientation, NASW will be vigilant in ensuring that Attorney General Ashcroft keeps his word to preserve all Americans civil liberties. |
January 10, 2001
Oppose the Nomination of John Ashcroft as Attorney General
NASW opposes the confirmation of John D. Ashcroft as Attorney General of the United States. John Ashcroft has a record of being insensitive towards the civil rights of minorities, women, and gays and lesbians. His extremist views towards civil rights and reproductive rights for women and minorities convey his inability to be an attorney general that will represent fair justice for all of Americans. While serving as an U.S. Senator from Missouri for the past six years, Ashcroft has demonstrated that he will use his position to promote his narrow extreme right wing vision of justice.
In 1997 and 1998 the National Journal ranked Ashcroft as tied for the most conservative Senator. While groups like the Christian Coalition, the National Right to Life Committee, and the American Conservative Union gave him a 100% ratings since 1995, the NAACP, NARAL, League for Conservation Voters, AFL-CIO, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security has given him a 0 or "F" rating.
The position of Attorney General is the main safeguard of civil liberties in the United. As Attorney General, Ashcroft would be responsible for recommending nominations to the federal courts. These nominations are supposed to be representative of our nation and diversified. During his years as senator, John Ashcroft has disproportionately delayed and denied the confirmation of minorities and women to the federal courts and executive branch.
The most notable of these votes is the confirmation of the nomination of an African-American Missouri Supreme Court Judge, Ronnie White for the open position of District Court Judge. In 1998 during the initial hearings of the nomination of Ronnie White in the Judiciary Committee, John Ashcroft seemed to have no doubts of White’s ability to perform the duties of District Court Judge effectively and justly. However two years later after the nomination finally made it to the Senate floor for a vote, Ashcroft waged a party line fight against the nomination stating that Ronnie White was pro-criminal and anti-death penalty. Even though Ashcroft’s allegations were distorted, he was still able to convince members of his party to vote against the confirmation of Ronnie White, disabling a more than qualified individual to take that seat in Missouri.
Unfortunately Ashcroft’s opposition to Ronnie White was not an exception. He continued to delay and deny nominations of many nominees including the nomination of Margaret Morrow to serve on the federal district court, Margaret McKeown to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Sonia Sotomayor for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Richard Paez to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Dr. David Satcher as Surgeon General, and James Hormel as Ambassador to Luxembourg because of his sexual preference. His actions in these cases prove that Ashcroft uses his immoderate ideological views and policies to decided who should be given a post in the judiciary and executive branches.
Ashcroft is a staunch opponent of a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her reproductive system. During his six years in the Senate, Ashcroft cast 44 votes on reproductive rights, 43 were anti-choice votes. Senator Ashcroft has spoken out and drafted legislation to amend the constitution to state that life begins at fertilization therefore a woman’s right to receive an abortion regardless of the circumstances should be eradicated in addition to certain contraceptives. Ashcroft’s proposals on a woman’s right to chose threatens the very advances that women have fought so hard to secure over the last 100 years.
If confirmed as Attorney General, John D. Ashcroft will determine how justice is defined and pursued by the Executive Branch. He will be the exclusive enforcer of civil rights and equal justice. NASW urges president-elect George W. Bush to explore other options for the Office of Attorney General.
Please contact the chair and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee and tell them why social workers do not think that Ashcroft is right for the job. NASW also encourages you to call the Senators from your state and make your voice heard. The chairman and ranking can be contact at:
Chairman Patrick Leahy (D), 433 Russell Building, Washington, DC 20510, (202)224-4242 Office, (202)224-3479 Fax, senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Ranking Member Orin Hatch (R), 131 Russell Building, Washington, DC 20510, (202)224-5857 Office, (202)224-6331 Fax, senator_hatch@hatch.senate.gov
To find the contact information for the Senators from your state, please visit www.senate.gov or call (202) 224-3121. If need additional information or have questions regarding the Ashcroft nomination please contact Lakitia Mayo, Field Organizer for NASW, at (800) 638-8799 ext. 218 or lmayo@naswdc.org.