A Stalwart of the Right: John David Ashcroft Mr. Ashcroft is Mr. Bush's most conservative appointment so far and, if confirmed by the Senate, in what could be bruising confirmation hearings, he would be the most outspokenly ideological attorney general since President Ronald Reagan's era of social conservatism at the Justice Department. A pro-death-penalty, anti-abortion Republican senator from Missouri who lost a re-election campaign last month, Mr. Ashcroft's selection raises the possibility of potentially serious fights over the myriad flash points of legal policy, like judicial selection, civil rights, criminal justice and antitrust matters. Mr. Ashcroft shares Mr. Bush's admiration for Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court. Mr. Ashcroft praised Justice Thomas in a recent article in the law review of Regent University, which is operated by the evangelist Pat Robertson. He said that Justice Thomas was a leader on the court and a powerful defender of respecting the limits of federal power. "Too many judges believe they can legislate from the bench," Mr. Ashcroft complained. In contrast, he said that Justice Thomas subordinates his personal views to the Constitution. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/23/politics/23ASHC.html?pagewanted=all