which senators voted for jeff sessions for attorney general?

by Prof. Nya Spinka II Published 3 years ago Updated 1 year ago 10 min read

What did Jeff Sessions do in the Senate?

Feb 08, 2017 · By THE NEW YORK TIMES FEB. 8, 2017. The Senate voted to confirm Jeff Sessions as ...

Who voted against the 1986 nomination of Jeff Sessions?

Feb 08, 2017 · The Senate confirmed Jeff Sessions as the next attorney general Wednesday evening by a vote of 52-47, mostly along party lines. The one Democrat who voted in support of Sessions was Sen. Joe...

Did Donald Trump select Jeff Sessions for Attorney General?

Feb 08, 2017 · The New York Times reported that Joe Manchin III voted to confirm Sessions, the only Democratic senator to do so. Sessions was confirmed in a 52-47 vote. Republicans could have confirmed the attorney general with a party majority, but Manchin still voted in favor of Sessions despite Democrats' opposition.

How many law school professors oppose Jeff Sessions as Attorney General?

Following 30 hours of often-contentious debate, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala) as our nation’s attorney general on the evening of February 8, by a...

See more

Senate cast a final vote making Ala. Sen. Jeff Sessions the next U.S. Attorney General.

Did Jeff Sessions get elected to the Senate?

Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in 1994. In 1996, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and was re-elected in 2002, 2008 and 2014. During his Senate tenure, Sessions was considered one of the most conservative Senators.

Who are the two US senators from Alabama?

Richard Shelby (Republican Party)Tommy Tuberville (Republican Party)Alabama/Senators

How old is Jeff Sessions?

75 years (December 24, 1946)Jeff Sessions / Age

Who is Jeff Sessions wife?

Mary Blackshear SessionsJeff Sessions / Wife (m. 1969)

Who are the US senators from Arkansas?

John Boozman (Republican Party)Tom Cotton (Republican Party)Arkansas/Senators

Who are the senators from Missouri?

Josh Hawley (Republican Party)Roy Blunt (Republican Party)Missouri/Senators

Are Pete and Jeff Sessions related?

In August 2012, Sessions married Karen Diebel, a 2010 congressional candidate in Florida and a Trump Administration appointee to the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Pete Sessions is not related to former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

How tall is Jeff Sessions in feet?

5′ 5″Jeff Sessions / Height

Who was the last US attorney general?

List of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentLoretta Lynch2015-2017Eric Holder2009-2015Michael B. Mukasey2007-200982 more rows

Where is Jeff Sessions from?

Selma, ALJeff Sessions / Place of birthSelma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 20,756 as of the 2010 census. About 80% of the population is African-American. Wikipedia

How long was William Barr Attorney General?

William BarrOfficial portrait, 201977th and 85th United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 14, 2019 – December 23, 2020PresidentDonald Trump30 more rows

When was Sessions elected?

Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in November 1994, unseating incumbent Democrat Jimmy Evans with 57% of the vote. The harsh criticism he had received from Senator Edward Kennedy, who called him a "throw-back to a shameful era" and a "disgrace", was considered to have won him the support of Alabama conservatives.

Why did Sessions ask Congress to repeal the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment?

In a May 2017 letter, Sessions personally asked congressional leaders to repeal the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment so that the Justice Department could prosecute providers of medical marijuana. The Rohrabacher–Farr amendment is a 2014 measure that bars the Justice Department from using federal funds to prevent states "from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana". Sessions wrote in the letter that "I believe it would be unwise for Congress to restrict the discretion of the Department to fund particular prosecutions, particularly in the midst of an historic drug epidemic and potentially long-term uptick in violent crime." John Hudak of the Brookings Institution criticized the letter, stating that it was a "scare tactic" that "should make everyone openly question whether candidate Trump's rhetoric and the White House's words on his support for medical marijuana was actually a lie to the American public on an issue that garners broad, bipartisan support."

Why did Trump nominate Sessions?

Trump would later state in an August 22, 2018 interview with Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt that the only reason he nominated Sessions was because Sessions was an original supporter during his presidential campaign. The nomination engendered support and opposition from various groups and individuals. He was introduced by Senator Susan Collins from Maine who said, "He's a decent individual with a strong commitment to the rule of law. He's a leader of integrity. I think the attacks against him are not well founded and are unfair." More than 1,400 law school professors wrote a letter urging the Senate to reject the nomination. A group of black pastors rallied in support of Sessions in advance of his confirmation hearing; his nomination was supported by Gerald A. Reynolds, an African American former chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Six NAACP activists, including NAACP President Cornell William Brooks, were arrested at a January 2017 sit-in protesting the nomination.

What did Al Franken say about the Russians?

Sessions replied that he was "not aware of any of those activities" and said "I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didn't have – did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it."

How many children does Jeff Sessions have?

Sessions and his wife Mary have three children and as of March 2020, ten grandchildren. The family attends a United Methodist church. Specifically, Jeff and Mary Sessions are members of the Ashland Place United Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama; Jeff Sessions has taught Sunday school there.

Who is Coretta Scott King?

Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the nomination. In her letter, she wrote that "Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.".

What did Sessions say about sanctuary cities?

On March 27, 2017, Sessions told reporters that sanctuary cities failing to comply with policies of the Trump administration would lose federal funding, and cited the shooting of Kathryn Steinle as an example of an illegal immigrant committing a heinous crime.

Overview

Political positions

During his tenure, Sessions was considered one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate.
Sessions was an opponent of legal and illegal immigration during his time in Congress. He opposed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 and the bi-partisan Gang of Eig…

Early life and early career

Sessions was born in Selma, Alabama, on December 24, 1946, the son of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Jr., and the former Abbie Powe. Sessions, his father, and his grandfather were named after Jefferson Davis, a U.S. senator and president of the Confederate States of America, and P. G. T. Beauregard, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and a Confederate general who oversaw the Battle of Fort Sumter that commenced the American Civil War. His father owned a general st…

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1981–1993)

Sessions was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama beginning in 1975. In 1981, President Reagan nominated him to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. The Senate confirmed him and he held that position for twelve years. In 1993, Sessions resigned his post after Democrat Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States.

Failed nomination for federal trial court judgeship (1986)

In 1986, Reagan nominated Sessions to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions's judicial nomination was recommended and actively backed by Republican Alabama senator Jeremiah Denton. A substantial majority of the American Bar AssociationStanding Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which rates nominees to the federal bench, rated Sessions "qualified", with a minority voting tha…

Alabama attorney general (1995–1997)

Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in November 1994, unseating incumbent Democrat Jimmy Evans with 57% of the vote. The harsh criticism he had received from Senator Ted Kennedy, who called him a "throw-back to a shameful era" and a "disgrace", was considered to have won him the support of Alabama conservatives.

U.S. Senate (1997–2017)

In 1996, Sessions won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, after a runoff, and then defeated Democrat Roger Bedford 53%–46% in the November general election. He succeeded Howell Heflin (a Democrat), who had retired after 18 years in the Senate, making his victory a Republican pickup in the Senate.
Following the Columbine High School massacrein April 1999, Sessions took pa…

Attorney General of the United States (2017–2018)

President-elect Trump announced on November 18, 2016, that he would nominate Sessions to be Attorney General of the United States. Trump would later state in an August 22, 2018 interview with Fox News' Ainsley Earhardtthat the only reason he nominated Sessions was because Sessions was an original supporter during his presidential campaign. The nomination engendered supp…