DeaconDave
13-11-2004, 01:48
I thought people might find it interesting to read the ABA's perspective on the new Bush appointee. here (http://www.abanet.org/journal/ereport/nov12agen.html)
They are really quite complimentary in tone, despite being quite a liberal organisation. (ACLU "non-partisan" that cracks me up).
They do bring up the torture memo though.
GONZALES GETTING GOOD GRADES
Although Questions Persist Over Torture Memo, Many Lawyers Praise Attorney General Nominee
BY MARTHA NEIL
The man nominated to succeed John Ashcroft as U.S. attorney general is bright, thoughtful and a hard worker who has won respect everywhere he has been, according to lawyers who know him.
Nonetheless, Democrats and Republicans alike are expected to raise questions about Alberto R. Gonzales during Senate confirmation hearings. Democrats are likely to focus on his role in drafting a Bush administration memo that critics say attempted to circumvent legal standards for the treatment of war prisoners. Many in the GOP may be concerned that Gonzales is not conservative enough on issues such as abortion.
In the end, though, observers predict Gonzales will be confirmed. And lawyers familiar with him and his work say they look forward to seeing him in office.
"From all of my personal dealings with Al, it is difficult to imagine the president making a better choice," says Scott J. Atlas, a partner and former litigation department chair at Vinson & Elkins, the Houston-based law firm where Gonzales was a transactional attorney for 13 years. "Al’s reputation in the firm was of somebody who was intellectually honest, hardworking, with extraordinarily good judgment."
Although the American Bar Association does not endorse candidates, President Robert J. Grey Jr., speaking for himself, says he is "delighted" by the Gonzales appointment. Gonzales is accessible, supports legal services and has a good relationship with the ABA, Grey says.
"I like him, because if he tells you something, you can count on it," Grey says. "He is a very forthright individual, he has very high standards for integrity, and I am looking forward to his tenure as attorney general."
A 49-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School, Gonzales has been White House legal counsel for about four years.
Married and the father of three sons, the oldest of whom is in college, Gonzales was reared in Texas, reportedly in a home without hot water or a telephone, as the son of parents who met as migrant farm workers.
"There were eight children in the family, and they grew up in Houston in a two-bedroom home," says James Daniel Thompson III of Vinson & Elkins, a close friend of the nominee.
Gonzales began a military career and won a place at the U.S. Air Force Academy. After two years, he transferred to Rice University in Houston, from which he graduated.
Gonzales joined Vinson & Elkins in 1982, immediately following law school. The firm represented Enron, the energy giant that became a central figure in the ongoing investigations of dubious corporate financial practices and the need for more stringent regulatory supervision.
However, Gonzales left the firm before Enron’s legal woes to join the administration of then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Gonzales served both as the governor’s general counsel and as secretary of state before being appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999.
"Obviously, Al has succeeded in every job he’s had, not only here at the law firm but every position he’s taken since that time," Thompson says. "Al is a family man, too. He’s a wonderful father, a devoted husband. He makes that a central part of his life."
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Gonzales’ career has been his role in helping the Bush administration justify potential torture of prisoners in the war against terrorism. A memorandum he drafted in January 2002 was among several such documents from various government departments that were condemned by critics as an attempt to circumvent applicable laws, including the Geneva Conventions, concerning appropriate treatment of war prisoners.
"I know that Al is committed to upholding the laws of the United States and protecting our citizens," Thompson says.
However, the American Civil Liberties Union has called for close scrutiny of his intentions concerning the United States’ compliance with laws governing the rights of individuals.
While the nonpartisan civil rights organization takes no official position concerning the Gonzales nomination, the board, staff and more than 400,000 members of the ACLU are calling for "a full and thorough Senate confirmation process that scrutinizes Mr. Gonzales’ positions on key civil liberties and human rights issues," says Anthony Romero, the organization’s executive director, in a written statement released Wednesday.
A Jan. 25, 2002, memorandum authored by Gonzales "described certain legal protections guaranteed in the Geneva Conventions as ‘obsolete’ and ‘quaint,’ " the ACLU statement continued. The ACLU is calling on the Senate to "make certain that the next attorney general is committed to enforcing the civil rights laws that are critical to protecting the American value of fairness."
Other groups may focus on different issues. While on the Texas high court, for instance, Gonzales was criticized by anti-abortion activists for joining the majority in a decision that allowed a 17-year-old to get a waiver–as provided for by state law–from the requirement of parental notification that would otherwise have been imposed prior to getting an abortion.
If confirmed, Gonzales would be the first Hispanic to serve in the position.
©2004 ABA Journal
They are really quite complimentary in tone, despite being quite a liberal organisation. (ACLU "non-partisan" that cracks me up).
They do bring up the torture memo though.
GONZALES GETTING GOOD GRADES
Although Questions Persist Over Torture Memo, Many Lawyers Praise Attorney General Nominee
BY MARTHA NEIL
The man nominated to succeed John Ashcroft as U.S. attorney general is bright, thoughtful and a hard worker who has won respect everywhere he has been, according to lawyers who know him.
Nonetheless, Democrats and Republicans alike are expected to raise questions about Alberto R. Gonzales during Senate confirmation hearings. Democrats are likely to focus on his role in drafting a Bush administration memo that critics say attempted to circumvent legal standards for the treatment of war prisoners. Many in the GOP may be concerned that Gonzales is not conservative enough on issues such as abortion.
In the end, though, observers predict Gonzales will be confirmed. And lawyers familiar with him and his work say they look forward to seeing him in office.
"From all of my personal dealings with Al, it is difficult to imagine the president making a better choice," says Scott J. Atlas, a partner and former litigation department chair at Vinson & Elkins, the Houston-based law firm where Gonzales was a transactional attorney for 13 years. "Al’s reputation in the firm was of somebody who was intellectually honest, hardworking, with extraordinarily good judgment."
Although the American Bar Association does not endorse candidates, President Robert J. Grey Jr., speaking for himself, says he is "delighted" by the Gonzales appointment. Gonzales is accessible, supports legal services and has a good relationship with the ABA, Grey says.
"I like him, because if he tells you something, you can count on it," Grey says. "He is a very forthright individual, he has very high standards for integrity, and I am looking forward to his tenure as attorney general."
A 49-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School, Gonzales has been White House legal counsel for about four years.
Married and the father of three sons, the oldest of whom is in college, Gonzales was reared in Texas, reportedly in a home without hot water or a telephone, as the son of parents who met as migrant farm workers.
"There were eight children in the family, and they grew up in Houston in a two-bedroom home," says James Daniel Thompson III of Vinson & Elkins, a close friend of the nominee.
Gonzales began a military career and won a place at the U.S. Air Force Academy. After two years, he transferred to Rice University in Houston, from which he graduated.
Gonzales joined Vinson & Elkins in 1982, immediately following law school. The firm represented Enron, the energy giant that became a central figure in the ongoing investigations of dubious corporate financial practices and the need for more stringent regulatory supervision.
However, Gonzales left the firm before Enron’s legal woes to join the administration of then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Gonzales served both as the governor’s general counsel and as secretary of state before being appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999.
"Obviously, Al has succeeded in every job he’s had, not only here at the law firm but every position he’s taken since that time," Thompson says. "Al is a family man, too. He’s a wonderful father, a devoted husband. He makes that a central part of his life."
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Gonzales’ career has been his role in helping the Bush administration justify potential torture of prisoners in the war against terrorism. A memorandum he drafted in January 2002 was among several such documents from various government departments that were condemned by critics as an attempt to circumvent applicable laws, including the Geneva Conventions, concerning appropriate treatment of war prisoners.
"I know that Al is committed to upholding the laws of the United States and protecting our citizens," Thompson says.
However, the American Civil Liberties Union has called for close scrutiny of his intentions concerning the United States’ compliance with laws governing the rights of individuals.
While the nonpartisan civil rights organization takes no official position concerning the Gonzales nomination, the board, staff and more than 400,000 members of the ACLU are calling for "a full and thorough Senate confirmation process that scrutinizes Mr. Gonzales’ positions on key civil liberties and human rights issues," says Anthony Romero, the organization’s executive director, in a written statement released Wednesday.
A Jan. 25, 2002, memorandum authored by Gonzales "described certain legal protections guaranteed in the Geneva Conventions as ‘obsolete’ and ‘quaint,’ " the ACLU statement continued. The ACLU is calling on the Senate to "make certain that the next attorney general is committed to enforcing the civil rights laws that are critical to protecting the American value of fairness."
Other groups may focus on different issues. While on the Texas high court, for instance, Gonzales was criticized by anti-abortion activists for joining the majority in a decision that allowed a 17-year-old to get a waiver–as provided for by state law–from the requirement of parental notification that would otherwise have been imposed prior to getting an abortion.
If confirmed, Gonzales would be the first Hispanic to serve in the position.
©2004 ABA Journal