ASHCROFT DEFINES ‘JUDICIAL ACTIVISM’

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft in men's room of Ramada Inn, Olde' Williamsburg, Va.

Clarifies Framers 'Intent'

Richmond, (WPI) - Reacting to Democratic claims that any attempt to reverse Roe v. Wade by conservative judges would be “blatant judicial activism of the worst kind,” former Attorney General John Ashcroft offered a definition for the expression in an effort to, “clear the air on judicial behavior.”

Ashcroft speaking at a meeting of the Evangelical Daughters of the American Revolution in Olde Williamsburg, an affluent suburb of Richmond Va., Ashcroft said he hoped to, “put this matter to rest, once and for all.”

“A judicial activist is any judge who renders a decision which is contrary in spirit, flavor, effect, or offers conflicting precedent to, the organizing principles established by the authors of the US Constitution- the greatest document ever written, after the bible.” He told the appreciative crowd.

“There is an important legal notion here,” he pointed out. “It is less the Constitution itself which Judges must be measured by, but the intent of the authors. Judges should be measured by the same standards that they use to make decisions.”

Ashcroft was alluding to an idea often contemplated upon by the Supreme Court, the issue of “the intent” of the framers. This concept is generally considered exclusive to Supreme Court deliberations.

“We now know, to a degree that was never possible before, what the ideas and intentions of the majority of the Constitution’s authors wanted for our country and its laws,” He continued, “Contemporary research by the most prestigious universities and research centers in all America have finally uncovered and honed the ideas and attitudes of these great men.”

Ashcroft held up a copy of, "The Mind Of The Framers: What The Founding Fathers REALLY Meant” a recent joint publication of the Manhattan, Hudson and Cato Institutes and the Heritage Foundation , often described as “mainstream or moderate research Think-Tanks.”

Highlights of the book include chapters on “The Sin of Abortion,” Prayer- a Daily, Sacred Duty of Family and Teacher,” “Equal Taxation for Rich and Poor,” “The Special Rights of Job-Creators and the Obedience of Workers,” “The Importance De-regulating Businesses” and “Small Government With a Powerful Chief Executive.”

The book is not yet available to the public. Its initial offering is limited to donors to the Republican National Committee.