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U.S. Department of Justice
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Justice For All


"Employee Newsletter for the Department of Justice"                                                     May 2001

Greetings from Attorney General John Ashcroft

        I am honored to write to you as the seventy-ninth Attorney General of the United States. Throughout America’s long history, the Justice Department has acted as a stabilizing force by upholding the sanctity of the rule of law. Whether patrolling a remote border area, arguing a legal point in the courtroom or investigating a serious crime, Justice Department employees have earned a reputation for skill, dedication, and integrity.
        Together, we will strive to give prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and the courts more tools to get gun wielding criminals off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. We will renew the war on drugs and work to spare our nation’s children from the horrors drugs inflict on our families and our culture. And we will work to vigorously protect the civil rights of all Americans.
        These are issues that have been a focus in my years as Missouri Attorney General, Governor and Senator, and I intend to continue that focus at the Justice Department. Your expertise and dedication are essential to accomplishing the goal of Justice for All. I intend to consult with you often as we move forward with these important initiatives. Likewise, I urge you to feel free ontact my office at any time if I can be of assistance to you in any way.
        Despite the many challenges facing our nation, I have every confidence we can seize the opportunity to make our country even greater. Our cause is justice, our foundation is firm, and our commitment is unwavering. Let us all be dedicated to ensuring that the Justice Department fulfills its promise and honors its heritage — not only enforcing the rule of law, but guaranteeing rights for the advancement of all Americans.


Attorney General John Ashcroft

        Calling him “a man of great integrity, a man of great judgment and a man who knows the law,” President George W. Bush announced his decision to nominate John Ashcroft to serve as Attorney General of the United States on December 22, 2000. Upon confirmation by the Senate, Ashcroft pledged to renew the war on drugs, reduce the incidence of gun violence and combat discrimination so no American feels outside the protection of the law.
        Ashcroft was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 9, 1942. He was raised in Springfield, Missouri, where he attended public schools until enrolling at Yale University, where he graduated with honors in 1964. He received his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1967. He began his career of public service in 1973 as Missouri Auditor and was later elected to two terms as the state’s Attorney General. His ability to work with leaders of both political parties prompted his colleagues in the non-partisan National Association of Attorneys General to choose him as Chairman.
        Ashcroft was elected Governor of Missouri in 1984 and held that post until 1993. During his tenure, he balanced eight consecutive budgets and served as Chairman of the Education Commission of the States. Fortune magazine rated him one of the top ten education governors in the country, while Financial World and City and State magazines credited him with making Missouri one of the best financially managed states in the country. He also spearheaded the state’s efforts to reduce the use of illegal drugs. In 1991, the non-partisan National Governors Association elected him Chairman.
        He was elected to the Senate in 1994 and maintained a near-perfect voting attendance record while working to combat illegal drugs, increase the quality of public education, reduce crime and safeguard the rights of crime victims. Ashcroft worked closely with Missouri law enforcement officers, developing strategies to counter the state’s methamphetamine problems. He co-sponsored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. He fought to toughen the penalties for gun crimes by substantially increasing mandatory minimum prison sentences for the criminal misuse of firearms. During his time in the Senate, Ashcroft was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee.
        Prior to entering public service, Ashcroft taught business law at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. He authored the book Lessons from a Father to His Son, a tribute to his father, and co-authored multiple editions of two college law textbooks with his wife, Janet. John and Janet Ashcroft have three children: Martha, John and Andrew, and one grandchild, Jimmy Patterson.
        Attorney General Ashcroft is committed to confronting injustice by leading a professional Justice Department free from politics, defined by integrity and dedicated to upholding the rule of law. He will make certain that the Justice Department fulfills its promise and honors its heritage–not only by enforcing the rule of law, but by guaranteeing rights for the advancement of all Americans.


Full Funding Request Sent to Congress
for Violence Against Women Programs

        Attorney General John Ashcroft announced in April that in the President’s budget request for 2002, key Department of Justice programs to fight violence against women will receive a $102.52 million increase over 2001, up 36%.
        In a speech to the Academy of Criminal Justice Scientists and Criminal Justice Journalists, Ashcroft made the following remarks:
        “No American should feel beyond the protection of the law. That is why we have an office dedicated to help stop violence against women. Violence against women grants help communities address violent crime against women by assisting with prosecution and victim assistance.
        “Today, I am pleased to announce that in the President’s upcoming budget, the Violence Against Women Office at the Department of Justice will receivethe requested funding. This year’s funding request includes 102.5 million additional dollars compared to last year’s budget.
        “These funds will be used for existing VAWA programs and will also create new programs as authorized under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.”
        Under VAWA, Congress has authorized more than $3 billion to support victim services and the work of police, prosecutors and the courts. The Department of Justice administers six grant programs helping local governments and community based agencies train personnel, establish specialized domestic violence and sexual assault units, provide victim services and prosecute offenders.
       Appropriations for VAWA (including Victims of Child Abuse funding) in FY 2001 totaled $288,044,000. The Department’s FY 2002 request of $390,565,000, which has been fully granted under the president’s budget, represents a $102.52 million increase that will fund both existing and new VAWA programs.


Appointments and Nominations

        As of mid-April, the following individuals have been or will be nominated by President Bush to serve at the Department of Justice:

Deputy Attorney General - Larry Thompson

        Former US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Larry Thompson is currently a partner at the Atlanta firm King & Spalding. He specializes in white collar crime, complex civil litigation, corporate litigation and False Claims Act cases. As U.S. Attorney, he directed the Southeastern Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and served on the Attorney General’s Economic Crime Council. He received his BA at Culver-Stockton College, his Masters from Michigan State and his JD from the University of Michigan.

Solicitor General - Ted Olson

        Ted Olson is currently a partner with the Washington DC branch of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he concentrates on constitutional law, appellate litigation, federal legislation and media and commercial disputes. Beginning in 1981 he served four years as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. He graduated from the University of the Pacific and received his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division - Robert McCallum

        Robert McCallum is currently a partner at the Atlanta firm of Alston & Bird, where he specializes in civil litigation with an emphasis on appellate practice, real estate litigation, insurance class action litigation and medical malpractice defense. He served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia from 1979 to 1987, representing the State Department of Transportation in eminent domain litigation. He graduated cum laude from Yale University and received his law degree from Yale Law School. He also obtained a second BA with first class honors in jurisprudence from Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division - Thomas Sansonetti

        After serving as Solicitor for the Department of the Interior under Secretary Manuel Lujan, Thomas Sansonetti joined the Cheyenne, Wyoming, firm of Holland and Hart, where he specializes in environment and natural resources law. Previously, he worked for Congressman Craig Thomas, and was appointed Associate Solicitor for Energy and Resources by Interior Secretary Don Hodel during the last two years of the Reagan administration. He received his undergraduate degree with distinction from the University of Virginia, his law degree from Washington and Lee and his MBA from the University of Virginia.

Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division - Eileen O'Connor

        Eileen O’Connor currently works at the accounting firm of Aronson, Fetridge and Weigle. Previously, she worked at the Office of Federal Tax Services at the accounting and consulting firm of Grant Thornton. She has also served as a corporation tax law specialist at the National Office of the IRS. An adjunct professor at George Mason Law School, O’Connor received her undergraduate degree from Columbus State University and her law degree from Catholic University.

Director of the National Institute of Justice - Sarah Hart

        Sarah Hart has served as the Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections since 1995. Previously, she worked as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where she was lead counsel for nine years in federal litigation involving the Philadelphia prison system. She serves currently on the Pennsylvania Appellate Procedural Rules Committee, and is the former Vice Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the American Correctional Association. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and her law degree from Rutgers Camden School of Law.

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division - Ralph Boyd

        Ralph Boyd is currently a partner with the Boston firm of Goodwin Procter. From 1991-1997, he served as a federal prosecutor for the Boston U.S. Attorney’s Office and received widespread praise for cracking down on gun violence. He also played a key role in establishing Boston’s Effective Crime Initiative. He graduated from Haverford College and received his JD from Harvard Law School.

Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs - Dan Bryant

        Dan Bryant formerly served as the Chief Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime. He has worked at the Department in the Criminal Division and the Office of the General Counsel. He also served as a Special Assistant in the Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Juvenile Justice. Bryant received his BA and JD from American University.

Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division - Michael Chertoff

        Michael Chertoff is currently a partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins in Newark, New Jersey. Prior to that, he spent over a decade as a federal prosecutor, including service as US Attorney for New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He graduated cum laude from Harvard and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Assistant Attorney General for OJP - Deborah Daniels

        Deborah Daniels served previously as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, where she was instrumental in establishing the Weed & Seed program there. She is currently a partner at the Indianapolis firm of Krieg DeVault Alexander & Capehart. She received a BA with honors from DePauw University and graduated cum laude from the Indiana University School of Law.

Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Policy Development - Viet Dinh

        Viet Dinh is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School, and served as a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and U.S. Appellate Judge Laurence Silberman. Currently, he works as a Professor at Georgetown University Law School, and is Deputy Director of the school’s Asian Law and Policy Studies Program. Previously, he served as Special Counsel to Senator Pete Domenici.

Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division - Charles James

        Charles James is currently a partner at the Cleveland-based firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. James served previously as Acting Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. From 1979-1985 he worked at the Federal Trade Commission. He graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, and received his JD from George Washington University.

Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel - John Manning

        John Manning served at the Department of Justice as both Assistant to the Solicitor General and Attorney-Advisor for the Office of Legal Counsel. He has also worked as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, DC, where he specialized in appellate litigation cases. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard and received his JD from Harvard Law School with magna cum laude honors.


Janet Ashcroft Discusses Women's History

        Janet Ashcroft, wife of Attorney General John Ashcroft, addressed Department of Justice employees at an event in honor of Women’s History month on March 23. Her speech reflected upon the many advances made by women in her lifetime.
        “If women make half as much progress during my lifetime and my daughter’s lifetime as they made during my grandmother’s and my mother’s lifetimes the future looks very bright for women,” she said.
        Mrs. Ashcroft also reminded her audience of the many avenues open to American women today, thanks to workplace flexibility and changing societal standards. She described the difficulties her own mother and grandmother overcame in order to educate themselves and their children.
        Ashcroft received her JD from the University of Chicago in 1967. She has served as General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Revenue and Professor at Howard University in Washington, DC. She has also authored two business law textbooks. She has three children: Martha, John and Andrew, and one grandchild, Jimmy Patterson.



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