Trump selects Sessions for attorney general

WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump announced his first Cabinet appointment today, choosing Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., as attorney general. Sessions is known for his stringent stances against illegal immigration and criminal justice reform and may play a central role in the future of the debate over transgender restroom access.

Sessions, 69, first joined the U.S. Senate in 1997 and became the first member of Congress to endorse Trump for president in February during a tumultuous primary season. Leading up to Election Day, Sessions was instrumental in Trump’s campaign by advising him on immigration policy and national security and helping him select Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.

In his new function, Sessions will become the chief law enforcement officer in the United States and influence many areas of government, but could notably reframe key issues such as the federal response to North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” and the Obama administration’s sweeping edict forcing public schools to accommodate transgender students.

“The president-elect has been unbelievably impressed with Sen. Sessions and his phenomenal record as Alabama’s attorney general and U.S. attorney,” the Trump transition team said in a statement.

Sessions said he could think of no greater honor than to lead the Justice Department.

“My previous 15 years working in the Department of Justice were extraordinarily fulfilling,” Sessions said. “I love the department, its people, and its mission.”

The senator from Alabama is popular within his state. Aside from his first election, Sessions has never won with less than 59 percent of the vote, and in 2014 he ran unopposed. Before joining the Senate, Sessions was an Army captain and then became the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. In 1995, he took over as the Alabama attorney general.

If he clears a Senate confirmation vote, Sessions will take over for Attorney General Loretta Lynch after Inauguration Day.

Lynch played a pivotal role in several high-profile cases throughout the year. A week before the FBI concluded its yearlong investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email use, Lynch had an infamous impromptu meeting with former President Bill Clinton—causing a stir even among Democrats who feared the poor optics. The FBI then announced it would not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton, and Lynch’s Department of Justice put the matter to rest, as well.

But most notably, Lynch targeted her home state of North Carolina in May for its restroom access law, HB2, which requires people in schools and government buildings to use restrooms and locker room facilities that match their biology, not their gender identity.

Lynch compared the restroom protection to Jim Crow laws, stating HB2 discriminated against transgender Americans. Her department sued the state of North Carolina for violating civil rights laws. The case is still awaiting judgment in federal court.

Sessions, on the other hand, has a zero percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT advocacy group in the country. He is a member of a United Methodist church in Alabama, has a pro-life voting record, has been an opponent of same-sex marriage, and voted against making sexual orientation a protected class.

Rumors started to swirl in 2013 that Sessions was changing his mind on marriage issues, but he quickly set the record straight.

“I think people are free to marry anyway they want to,” Sessions said in 2013. “But churches are free to set standards for marriage.” He added that the legal definition of marriage should remain a union between a man and a woman.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins praised the appointment and said he was confident Sessions would uphold family values.

“President-elect Trump has surrounded himself with solid advisers, and his selection of Sen. Sessions for attorney general increases my confidence that the Trump administration will be one that cherishes the Constitution and its protection of our freedom from government oppression,” Perkins said in a statement. “Sen. Sessions understands the importance of all of our God-given rights, respects the rule of law, and will be a vital part of restoring our nation to its greatness.”