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There are plenty of reasons to call for the resignation of Alberto Gonzales: His justification of torture, his disregard for the FISA law, and his alleged lies to Congress about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys are three biggies that we've heard a lot about in recent years.One that doesn't make the headlines as much is Gonzales's history of unfairness in death penalty cases.
Yesterday, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) called for Gonzales's resignation based on the fact that he "does not have a record which reflects fairness in our justice system."
According to Diann Rust-Tierney, NCADP's Executive Director:
Two years ago, as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced confirmation hearings, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty stressed that the nation's chief law enforcement officer "must demonstrate the highest commitment to fairness, due process and equal protection under the law."Read the NCADP's full statement.
We based our opposition to Gonzales' confirmation on our belief that his track record on death penalty cases in Texas failed to meet this challenge. Time and again the legal analysis he provided to then-Gov. George W. Bush on the eve of executions failed to include any discussion of the most salient issues, including severe mental retardation and mental illness, abysmally poor legal representation and, in more than a handful of cases, even credible claims of innocence.
With the recent revelations that differences regarding the death penalty played a role in the dismissal of at least three U.S. attorneys, our fears, sadly, have been justified.
Then, as now, Mr. Gonzales placed Bush's political agenda above honesty, integrity , and commitment to fairness. In Texas this took the form of cursory review - and then denial in every single case but one - of clemency applications as President Bush parlayed his "tough-on-crime" persona into a successful run for the Republican presidential nomination.
Today, Mr. Gonzales' failed priorities have contributed to a politicized federal death penalty system instead of one based on fairness and integrity.
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