January 31, 2005

URGENT!!! – Urge Senators Not to Confirm Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Urges U.S. Senate Not to Confirm the Nomination of Alberto Gonzales Until More is Known About His Commitment to Civil Rights

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the nomination of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. Tomorrow, the full Senate will begin debate on the nomination in anticipation of a vote on Thursday. It is important that members of the Board who are concerned about Alberto Gonzales’s commitment to civil rights raise their concerns immediately with members of the Senate.

In a January 25th letter to Senators Arlen Specter and Patrick Leahy, the Lawyers’ Committee urged Senators on the Judiciary Committee not to confirm Mr. Gonzales until there has been a more probing examination of his views on civil rights law enforcement. As the letter explains, the Lawyers’ Committee strongly believes that Mr. Gonzales should not be confirmed because “the record that has been developed by the Judiciary Committee does not provide any basis for confidence about Mr. Gonzales’s commitment to civil rights, his independence from the White House, or the caliber and quality of the leadership he would provide to the Department of Justice on civil rights matters.” In addition, the Lawyers’ Committee is deeply concerned about Mr. Gonzales’s approach to human rights issues and its ramifications for civil rights. The full text of the Lawyers’ Committee’s letter can be found at www.lawyerscommittee.org and is attached to this message.

As a Board member of the Lawyers’ Committee, the Senators need to know your serious concerns about whether Mr. Gonzales will enforce current laws, especially, critical civil rights laws, so that our nation continues to promote equal justice for all Americans.

WHAT IS NEEDED?
Contact your Senator to inform him/her that Alberto Gonzales should not be confirmed as Attorney General of the United States.

Capitol Hill Switchboard – (202) 224-3121 or
Locate email address at – www.senate.gov

IMPORTANT POINTS
1. During the confirmation hearing process, Mr. Gonzales provided vague and uninformed responses in the areas of the death penalty, mandatory minimum sentences, disparate sentences for crack vs. powder cocaine, impermissible conduct by faith based organizations that receive federal funding, and the Justice Department’s power and authority under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

2. Mr. Gonzales’s responses to questions about the Justice Department’s failure to pursue racial and gender based discrimination cases provided no assurances that he would reverse these failings and enforce the full panoply of our nation’s civil rights laws.

3. Given the Attorney General’s tremendous power to advance or hamper the future direction of federal civil rights law enforcement, I strongly urge the Senate not to confirm Mr. Gonzales until more information is obtained on his commitment and capability to lead the Justice Department in the area of civil rights.

For more information, please contact Kim Alton at (202) 662-8317.

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