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Politics : The Donkey's Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (1600)	1/6/2002 12:36:09 AM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15516

Bush Asked to Drop Disputed Appointee Friday January 4 6:29 PM ET By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Days before a federal judge is to take up the matter, the head of the Civil Rights Commission asked President Bush (news - web sites) on Friday to drop his attempt to place a disputed appointee on the panel. Chairwoman Mary Frances Berry wrote a letter appealing to the president to drop attempts to appoint Peter Kirsanow , a conservative lawyer from Cleveland, to replace Victoria Wilson, an ally of Berry. Berry and four other commissioners on the eight-member civil rights panel contend Wilson was appointed to a six-year term in 2000. The Bush administration and the three Republican-appointed commissioners say Wilson's term expired Nov. 29 at the end of the term of the commissioner she replaced - the late Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. If Kirsanow is seated on the commission, it would shift from a 5-3 split that generally favors Berry to a 4-4 split that would likely be deadlocked on more controversial issues. Earlier this year, the commission harshly criticized Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, younger brother of the president, for his handling of the deadlocked 2000 presidential elections. The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit Dec. 7, asking a judge to seat Kirsanow. By Wednesday, parties to the lawsuit are to file written motions, and a week later, a federal district judge could decide whether to rule on the case or set a date for arguments. ``We honestly believe that if the president focuses on this he will see that it's counterproductive to interfere with the commission's independence,'' Berry said in an interview. ``There will be a serious question as to whether the commission can keep its doors open if the White House and the Justice Department tell commissioners what to do.'' Berry said the commission seated another Bush appointee, Jennifer Cabranes Braceras, late last year. While it opposes displacing a sitting commissioner, it does not oppose Bush appointees, she said. The commission has asked to be allowed to intervene in the lawsuit on Wilson's behalf. White House officials questioned whether the commission is allowed to hire its own counsel rather than use Justice Department lawyers. Berry said the attorney representing the panel will be paid and would not violate a statute prohibiting the use of free services. The commission has no enforcement power, but publicizes civil rights problems it perceives in government policy and government agencies. White House spokeswoman Anne Womack said the administration is trying to preserve the commission's independence. ``The statute very expressly calls for members' terms to be staggered to prevent any one administration from having too much influence,'' she said. ``Peter Kirsanow is a lawful member of the commission and we would expect the civil rights commission to recognize him as such.'' dailynews.yahoo.com -