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Your stance regarding the Ten Commandments made you unpopular in some quarters. There have been rumors that you received some death threats. Is that right?

I'd rather not comment about that. But I would say a lot of Alabamians have been very supportive of me. As I move around the state, a lot of people come up to me and say very encouraging and supportive things. I've stood twice for election as attorney general. I was first appointed to the office several years ago and then elected, and then re-elected last year. I had the highest percentage of any statewide candidate. And I think what people have seen from my public service over those several years is that I will uphold and enforce the law as honestly and straight down the middle as I can.

There have been occasions when that has meant I would prosecute members of my own political party, the Republican Party, or members of the opposite party, where I have in election redistricting disputes. In some occasions I've agreed with Republicans; some occasions, I've agreed with Democrats. Those are just examples of what I think has been my obligation to uphold and enforce the law fairly and impartially.

Are you still on good terms with Judge Moore?

I have not spoken with him. He has been charged by the judicial inquiry commission with violations of the canons of judicial ethics. And it is the responsibility of my office to prosecute those charges. And he is not able to perform the duties of his office while these charges are pending. So, it would really not be appropriate for me to be talking with Chief Justice Moore.

You have taken a number of quite bold stands on a number of social issues. You've called Roe v. Wade "the worst abomination." Do you stand by that, and what did you mean?

I said that it was the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history. And what I meant was that the decision in Roe v. Wade is unsupported by the text and structure of the Constitution. And it has led to a morally wrong result. It has led to the slaughter of millions of innocent unborn children.

You also said that the Supreme Court had created a constitutional right to murder an unborn child. Do you also stand by that statement?

I do.

Some critics have taken issue not only with your stand but how you've said certain things, that you've been more blunt and outspoken—and some would even say flippant—about how you've stated your position, and it's rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Do you feel like perhaps you should tone it down? Or do you feel that you're just speaking your mind?

I'm an elected attorney general. I have an obligation not only to be the lawyer for the people of Alabama and their state government, but when I run for election, I have an obligation to share with the voters of my state the values that I believe in and uphold. And I have tried to be candid with the people of my state, and I think I have fulfilled my duty to share with them my values and my perspective of the law.

Your position on states' rights has drawn some concern in some quarters. In the past, some people have used "states' rights" arguments to resist civil rights advances. Where do you stand?

I, first of all, rarely, if ever, use the term states' rights. I believe that a central feature of our Constitution is federalism, which means that the founding fathers created a federal government with strong powers to represent our interest in foreign affairs, national security, and in promoting the free flow of interstate commerce.

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September (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47