Louisiana Legislators Defend Ashcroft
Sign Letter Calling on Senators to Repudiate "Unconstitutional Religious Test"

WASHINGTON-Forty-two members of the Louisiana state legislature signed a letter today calling for Senators Breaux and Landrieu to "repudiate the bigoted attacks displayed during John Ashcroft's nomination hearings before the United States Senate, and that (they) vote in favor of confirmation."

The letter went on to say "some members of Congress have attempted to establish a religious test, explaining that, because of his religion, John Ashcroft would be unable to serve as an enforcer of our laws."

Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States."

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, made the following statement:

"Louisiana voted for George W. Bush last November, and now members of the state Legislature are calling on Senators Breaux and Landrieu to vote in favor of John Ashcroft, President Bush's selection for U.S. Attorney General.

"It's clear that the people of Louisiana support President Bush's agenda. It's also clear that the test applied to Senator Ashcroft in his confirmation hearings amounts to religious profiling, and was unconstitutional.

"I would hope that Senators Breaux and Landrieu would defend the constitution and represent the people of Louisiana instead of representing those Beltway interest groups that started the anti-Ashcroft smear campaign."