Jeff Sessions

Infobox Senator | name=Jeff Sessions

---

jr/sr=Junior Senator
state=Alabama
alongside=Richard Shelby
party=Republican
term_start=January 7, 1997
preceded=Howell T. Heflin
succeeded=
order2=44th
office2=Attorney General of Alabama
term_start2=January 16 1995
term_end2=January 3 1997
governor2=Fob James
preceded2=Jimmy Evans
succeeded2=William H. Pryor, Jr.
date of birth=birth date and age|1946|12|24
place of birth=Selma, Alabama
dead=alive
residence= Mobile, Alabama
occupation= attorney
spouse=Mary Blackshear Sessions
children=Mary Abigail Sessions, Ruth Walk Sessions, Sam Sessions
alma_mater=Huntingdon College
religion=Methodist
branch=United States Army
serviceyears= 1973-1977
rank=Captain
unit=Reserves

Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life

Sessions was born in Selma, Alabama, to Abbie Powe and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Jr. [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/sessions.htm 1 ] ] His father owned a general store and then a farm equipment dealership. Sessions grew up in the small town of Hybart. In 1964 he became an Eagle Scout. In his adult life, he became a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

After attending school in nearby Camden, Sessions studied at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. He was active in the Young Republicans and student body president there. [http://www.cqpress.com/ls/pia/pdfs/107/aljr-2000.pdf Profile of Jeff Sessions by CQ Press] ] Sessions received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama in 1973.

Sessions became a practicing attorney first in Russellville and then in Mobile, where he now lives. He was also an army reservist in the 1970s, achieving the rank of captain.

Sessions and his wife Mary have three children: Mary Abigail, Ruth Walk, and Sam.

Political career

Early political career

Following a two-year stint as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1975–1977), Sessions was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the United States Attorney for Alabama's Southern District, a position he held for 12 years.

Federal judgeship

In 1986, Sessions was nominated for a federal judgeship by Reagan. The nomination was killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which refused by a 10-8 voteSarah Wildman, [http://www.jessejacksonjr.org/query/creadpr.cgi?id=%22006526%22 Closed Sessions: The Senator Who's Worse than Lott] , "The New Republic", December 30, 2002] tolet the nomination come to the Senate floor for a vote. Sessions' opponents accused him of "gross insensitivity” on racial issues. Sessions made a variety of comments that opponents pointed to, including remarks that he thought that the Klu Klux Klan was not so bad until he found out that some of them smoked marijuana. Sessions also had once labeled the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) "un-American," "Communist-inspired," and had said that they "forced civil rights down the throats of people." At his confirmation hearings, Sessions said that the groups could be un-American when "they involve themselves in un-American positions" in foreign policy. Sessions' claimed that the remarks had been made in jest. One of those voting against him was Democratic Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama.

Alabama Attorney General and U.S. Senate

Sessions was elected Alabama Attorney General in November 1994. In 1996, Sessions won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, after a runoff, and then defeated Democrat Roger Bedford, 52%-46% in the November general election. He succeeded Heflin, who had retired after 18 years in the Senate. In 2002, Sessions won re-election by defeating Democratic challenger and State Auditor Susan Parker. In August 2007, State Senator Vivian Davis Figures announced she will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Sessions in 2008.

Sessions was only the second freshman Republican Senator from Alabama since the Reconstruction, and gave Alabama two Republican senators, also a first since the Reconstruction. Sessions was easily reelected in 2002 becoming the first (or second, if one counts his colleague Richard Shelby, who switched from Democrat to Republican in 1994) Republican reelected to the Senate from Alabama.

Political positions

Sessions was ranked by "National Journal" as the fifth-most conservative United States Senator in their March, 2007 conservative/liberal rankings [http://politicalarithmetik.blogspot.com/2007/03/national-journal-2006.html] . He backs conservative Republican stances on foreign affairs, taxes, and social policy. He opposes abortion and illegal immigration. Sessions serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is its only member to have unsuccessfully faced the Committee before becoming a senator. Sessions was a supporter of the "nuclear option," a tactic favored by then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in the spring of 2005 to stop filibusters of judicial nominees. When 14 Senators led by Republican John McCain of Arizona and Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska struck a deal to avert the option, Sessions was one of the agreement's most severe critics.

An December 2007 poll shows Sessions has a 56% approval rating, with 34% disapproving. [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=a09d0dbf-b724-4ffd-b82b-781d93912fd8/ Survey USA]

On September 25, 2005, he spoke at a rally attended by 400 people in Washington, D.C. in favor of the war in Iraq. It was held in opposition to an anti-war protest held the day before that was attended by 100,000 people. Sessions spoke of the anti-war protesters, saying "The group who spoke here the other day did not represent the American ideals of freedom, liberty and spreading that around the world. I frankly don't know what they represent, other than to blame America first." [Brian J. Foley, [http://www.antiwar.com/orig/foley.php?articleid=7467 "I Gave My Copy of the Constitution to a Pro-War Veteran"] , "Antiwar.com", October 1, 2005]

On October 5, 2005, he voted against a bill restricting treatment of terrorist suspects [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2005-249] .

Sessions has taken a strong stand against any form of citizenship for illegal immigrants. Sessions was one of the most vocal critics of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, leading the charge to its being tabled (killed) on June 28, 2007.

Sessions was one of 37 Senators to vote against funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

Brief exchange with Chuck Grassley

On June 26, 2007, Sessions got into a brief exchange with Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa. Sessions stated that he did not support Grassley's amendment, but would yield time to Grassley, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did not allow it, prompting Grassley to responded, "I don't care if I speak, I can speak sometime else, but I would like to have time for debate on my amendment, and can I talk about why I should bring my amendment up." [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFSFkwVoqoY]

Environmental record

In 2005, Jeff Sessions received a 0 percent on the Republicans for Environmental Protection's ("REP") environmental scorecard. [ [http://www.rep.org/2005_scorecard.pdf Republicans for Environmental Protection 2005 Scorecard] ] He voted in a manner inconsistent with what the REP considers pro-environment on all 15 issues considered environmentally critical by the REP. Issues in which Senator Sessions voted "anti"-environment were all amendments to the Energy Policy Act proposed in 2005, the issue of authorizing drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and fuel economy standards for vehicles.

Senator Sessions received a 5 percent from the League of Conservation Voters ("LCV") scorecard for his pro-environment vote on the issue of natural gas facilities. [http://www.lcv.org/president-and-congress/senate/senate-energy-natural-resources-committee.html League of Conservation Voters] ] He voted against tabling the bill which would allow states a say in companies building new and possibly harmful natural gas facilities. This pro-environment vote, however, was balanced by his "anti-environment votes on the energy conference report, renewable energy, farm conservation programs, global warming, natural gas facilities, undermining fuel economy, increasing fuel economy, and various other issues.

In 2006, Senator Sessions received a 0 percent from the REP [ [http://www.rep.org/2006_scorecard.pdf Republicans for Environmental Protection 2006 Scorecard] .] and a 0 percent from the LCV According to these organization, he voted anti-environment on the issue of energy and weatherization assistance, on drilling, environmental funding, peer review, renewable resources, and The Gulf of Mexico Security Act.

Controversies

Sessions had unsuccessfully prosecuted three civil rights workers (including Albert Turner, a former aide to Martin Luther King, Jr), on a case of election fraud for the 1984 election. Sessions spent hours interrogating black voters in predominantly black counties, finding14 allegedly tampered ballots out of approximately 1.7 million ballots cast. The three civil rights workers were acquitted after four hours of jury deliberation.

On September 9, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Sessions called his former law professor, Harold Apolinsky, co-author of Sessions' legislation repealing the federal estate tax, which had lost momentum in Congress, and left a voicemail: " [Arizona Sen.] Jon Kyl and I were talking about the estate tax. If we knew anybody that owned a business that lost life in the storm, that would be something we could push back with." [Massimo Calabresi, [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1106213,00.html "Looking for a Corpse to Make a Case: Senators look for a wealthy casualty of Katrina as evidence against the estate tax"] , "Time Magazine", September 17, 2005]

Sessions was one of only nine opponents of Senator John McCain's anti-torture amendment. Sessions supports Vice President Dick Cheney's proposal to exempt the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from any ban on the use of torture. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author=Espo, David |coauthors=Sidoti, Liz |title=Cheney Seeks CIA Exemption to Torture Ban |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/05/AR2005110500410.html |publisher=Washington Post|date=2005-11-05 |accessdate=2008-08-23 ]

Sessions has been opposed to parts of the Voting Rights Act, which he described as a "piece of intrusive legislation". In 2006 he was in favor of letting it expire, and also said that Congress should consider if it was needed in some northern cities and states. [ [http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060511/sessions.shtml "Sessions wants to extend Voting Rights Act north"] , "Decatur Daily News", May 11, 2006] He later voted in favor of extending it. [ [http://sessions.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=259273 U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican - ALABAMA ] ] [ [http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00212 U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote ] ]

Sessions has advocated the extension of FISA legislation to legalize the Bush Administration's wiretapping techniques. He compared worries about government overreach to "two dramatic errors some years ago in a situation just like this, on emotion driven by our civil libertarian friends," specifically the lack of sharing of information between the FBI and the CIA as well as prohibitions on obtaining intelligence from "dangerous" sources. Sessions was indirectly criticized for this phrasing by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who replied " [Senator Sessions said] 'The civil libertarians among us'—and then he listed all the bad things he thinks the civil libertarians among us have done. I hope every one of us—every one of us in this Chamber—supports the civil liberties of the United States of America because if you don't, you don't believe in the Constitution." [FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT--MOTION TO PROCEED -- (Senate - December 17, 2007) [http://thomas.loc.gov/home/r110query.html Congressional Record for the 110th Congress] ]

Sessions has been one of the most vocal critics of the reauthorization of PEPFAR in 2008. On July 14, when the bill went to debate, Sessions prepared an amendment that would allow the so-called "Helms Amendment" banning HIV-positive patients from entering the United States to be maintained, a ban that the bill would repeal. He is also opposed to the current price tag of $50 billion over 5 years. [Mary Orndorff, [http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1216109735248430.xml&coll=2 Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions opposes expansion of global AIDS program] ]

Committee assignments

*Committee on Armed Services
**Subcommittee on Airland
**Subcommittee on SeaPower
**Subcommittee on Strategic Forces (Ranking Member)
*Committee on the Budget
*Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
**Subcommittee on Energy
**Subcommittee on National Parks
**Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
*Committee on the Judiciary
**Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts (Ranking Member)
**Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
**Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Refugees
**Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security
*Caucus on International Narcotics Control

Electoral history

United States Senate election in Alabama, 2002cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |title=Election Statistics |accessdate=2007-08-08 |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives ]

United States Senate election in Alabama, 1996

Notes and references

External links

* [http://sessions.senate.gov/ United States Senator Jeff Sessions] , U.S. Senate site
* [http://www.sessions2008.com Sessions2008.com]
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jeff_Sessions Profile] at SourceWatch Congresspedia

U.S. Senator box
before=Howell T. Heflin
state=Alabama
class=2
start=1997
alongside=Richard Shelbysuccession box
before= Bill Cabaniss
title= Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Alabama
(Class 2)
years=1996, 2002, 2008
after=Current nominee

Persondata
NAME=Sessions, Jefferson Beauregard, III
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Sessions, Jeff
SHORT DESCRIPTION=United States Senator from Alabama
DATE OF BIRTH=December 24, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH=Selma, Alabama
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=