Ehrlich on Washington column, December 20, 1997

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, i =4, lr. (j Second Congressional District of Maryland ^ 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Week of December 20, 1997 BILL LANN LEE: THE WRONG MAN IN THE WRONG JOB Last week. President Clinton appointed liberal attorney Bill Lann Lee to serve as the nation’s top civil rights lawyer. By appointing Mr. Lee in an “acting” rather than a permanent capacity, President Clinton was able to sidestep the confirmation process in the United States Senate, where strong opposition to Mr. Lee’s liberal record on affirmative action had threatened his nomination. Though I do not serve in the Senate, 1 have been following this issue closely. And while Mr. Lee’s personal story is indeed inspiring — he is a self-made man whose immigrant father ran a laundry in Harlem — I agree with many Senators who believe he is fundamentally unqualified to hold this high position. As acting Associate Attorney General for Civil Rights, Mr. Lee must enforce the nation’s civil rights laws in a fair, evenhanded manner. However, Mr. Lee’s past demonstrates that he has neither the impartiality nor legal detachment the job entails. He has shown an unbridled enthusiasm for race- and gender-based preference programs. Moreover, he has a proven track record of using the judicial system to impose his own pro-quota agenda onto society, even when a majority of the electorate (and all races) clearly disagrees with him. Let me give you a few examples of Mr. Lee’s left-wing legalism. As you may know, last year California overwhelmingly adopted Proposition 209, a ballot initiative outlawing discrimination against any citizen based upon race or gender. Rather than accept the will of the electorate, Mr. Lee has fought tooth and nail to protect quotas and affirmative action programs, often relying on creative if somewhat ridiculous arguments to advance his cause.