Ashcroft--Missouri already said "NO!"

President-elect Bush has chosen John Ashcroft-- former U.S. senator, governor and state attorney general-- as his nominee for U.S. Attorney General, the chief law-enforcement official in the nation. This development concerns us for many reasons, particularly because Ash-croft has steadfastly supported the death penalty.

Strong proof of that came in his public opposition to the federal judicial appointment of Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie White because he was supposedly “pro-criminal.” Sen. Ashcroft contended that White was the “most anti-death penalty judge” on Missouri’s high court, although White had upheld 41 of 59 death sentences over which he presided (about the same rate as the other Justices). Ashcroft also led the public condemnation of Gov. Carnahan for his commutation in 1999 of Darrell Mease’s death sentence, at the Pope’s request. U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft would be in a key position to increase federal executions.

To express your opinion on Ashcroft’s appointment, contact the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at (202) 224-7703 or (202) 224-5225. Senator Patrick Leahy is the Senior Democrat of the committee. He can be reached at (202) 224-4242 or senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov.

back to January 2001 FOR News

Mid-Mo FOR home