ISSUE BRIEF: Attorney General Jeff Sessions: A Rubber Stamp for the Chief Executive?

What His Record as Alabama Attorney General Portends for America as Donald Trump’s Attorney General

 

Summary

President-elect Donald Trump has designated Alabama Senator Jefferson B. Sessions to be his nominee to lead the Justice Department as the 84th Attorney General of the United States. How would Sessions perform in that role?

Would Sessions be an independent voice, fighting Trump Administration corruption, acting as a bulwark against Trump’s abuse of constitutional text and values? Or would Sessions be a rubber stamp for an administration that threatens to be the most corrupt since Warren Harding? For clues, we have examined Sessions’ record as Alabama Attorney General under Governor Fob James – compiled from archived press reports and original source documents.

More from Federal Courts and Nominations

Federal Courts and Nominations
January 17, 2024

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Sign-On Letter Prioritizing Diverse Judges

Dear Senator, On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the...
Federal Courts and Nominations
July 31, 2023

Liberal justices earn praise for ‘independence’ on Supreme Court, but Thomas truly stands alone, expert says

Fox News
Some democrats compare Justice Clarence Thomas to ‘Uncle Tom’ and house slave in ‘Django Unchained’
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra, By Brianna Herlihy
Federal Courts and Nominations
July 7, 2023

In Her First Term, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ‘Came to Play’

The New York Times
From her first week on the Supreme Court bench in October to the final day...
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra, by Adam Liptak
Federal Courts and Nominations
July 8, 2023

The Supreme Court’s continuing march to the right

CNN
Major legal rulings that dismantled the use of race in college admissions, undermined protections for...
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra, by Tierney Sneed
Federal Courts and Nominations
June 25, 2023

Federal judge defends Clarence Thomas in new book, rejects ‘pot shots’ at Supreme Court

CNN
A federal appeals court judge previously on short lists for the Supreme Court is taking the rare...
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra
Federal Courts and Nominations
May 1, 2023

Supreme Court, done with arguments, turns to decisions

Roll Call
The justices have released opinions at a slow rate this term, and many of the...
By: Brianne J. Gorod, By Michael Macagnone