WASHINGTON -- January 27 -- The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty today urged members of the U.S. Senate to vote against the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales to be U.S. Attorney General. Gonzales' confirmation vote could take place next week before the full U.S. Senate.

Since President Bush announced Gonzales' nomination in November, NCADP has carefully researched and meticulously tracked his record on the death penalty. "The Attorney General is the nation's chief law enforcement officer and as such must demonstrate the highest commitment to fairness, due process and equal protection under the law," said Diann Rust-Tierney, NCADP executive director. "Unfortunately, Mr. Gonzales' track record on the death penalty suggests a certain casualness toward the solemn task of ensuring that people facing imminent execution have received a fair trial and that issues bearing on the lawfulness and appropriateness of a particular death sentence had, in fact, received a hearing on the merits."

Rust-Tierney expressed concern both with the role Gonzales played as chief counsel to then-Gov. George W. Bush in Texas and with Gonzales' views - and apparent lack of knowledge - regarding the federal death penalty.

In Texas, she said, both Gonzales and Bush failed to address such problems as a lawyer who slept through part of his client's trial; cases involving severe mental retardation and mental illness; and several cases where the person scheduled for execution had a claim of innocence. All of these executions proceeded. (For more information regarding Gonzales' failure to seriously investigate the fairness of pending executions, please visit http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/news.jsp?key=1112. )

On the federal level, Gonzales said in response to questioning by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had only "vague knowledge" of the well-documented evidence regarding racial bias in the administration of the federal death penalty. Between 1988 and 2000, 75 percent of all federal capital prosecutions were brought against people of color. And 64 percent of people on federal death row are people of color.

"We believe that Mr. Gonzales's record to date argues powerfully against his confirmation," Rust-Tierney said. "At a minimum, however, the Senate and ultimately, the American people deserve assurances that Mr. Gonzales will not diminish his responsibility for ensuring that the federal death penalty is administered fairly and in accordance with the law."

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