ABSTRACT
John D. Ashcroft was appointed to serve as attorney general of the United States in the first George W. Bush administration, beginning in 2001. Ashcroft held numerous elected offices before his appointment as attorney general, including the posts of attorney general of Missouri and governor of Missouri. Ashcroft's nomination as attorney general proved controversial, with his long-standing opposition to abortion generating particular opposition. While in the Senate, Ashcroft cosponsored a proposed amendment to the US Constitution containing the same declaration and permitting abortion only when the life of the mother is at stake. Ashcroft proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and co- sponsored a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the burning of the American flag. In addition, he served as cosponsor for the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denies all federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
