Five Senate Judiciary Democrats – including Senate Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy (VT) and Joe Biden (DE), who chairs the Subcommittee on Drugs and Crime – voted today against the confirmation of John P. Walters as US Drug Czar. Nevertheless, The Judiciary Committee approved Walters’ nomination by a vote of 14 to 5.
The Senate is expected to decide on Walters’ nomination next week.
Despite the Judiciary’s approval of Walters, NORML’s Keith Stroup called the Democrats’ resistance heartening. “We are encouraged by the fact that five prominent Democratic senators voted to reject Walters’ nomination,” he said. “While we expect the Senate will eventually confirm him, it appears the long overdue debate on drug policy is finally underway in Congress. Further, this vote puts Walters and other drug war hawks on notice that such views will no longer go unchallenged in Congress.”
Democrats Richard Durbin (IL), Edward Kennedy (MA) and Charles Schumer (NY) also opposed Walters, who has been the subject of resounding criticism from human rights and civil liberties groups, including the NAACP, for his support of mandatory minimum sentencing and failure to acknowledge the role of race in drug enforcement and sentencing.
For more information, please contact Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.
