CWA President Chris Shelton’s Statement on the Nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held its hearing on the nomination of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General this week. The following is a statement from CWA President Chris Shelton:

CWA has pledged to hold President-elect Donald Trump accountable for the big promises he made to the American people during the campaign.

That starts with the nomination of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Sessions has spoken out against the Voting Rights Act, calling it "intrusive." As a U.S. attorney in Alabama, he pushed charges of voter fraud against African American activists that quickly were dismissed by a jury. He has criticized the National Council of Churches and the NAACP for being involved in activities "that people consider to be un-American."

He was rejected by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986 when he was nominated for a federal judgeship because of troubling racist statements.

Supporting, protecting, and enforcing civil rights laws is the basic requirement for the nation’s top law enforcement officer, along with the strongest commitment to safeguarding voting rights. Sessions fails this test.