A failed voting-fraud prosecution from more than 30 years ago is likely to re-emerge as a contentious issue during Senator Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing for attorney general.
He was dogged by his handling of the case as U.S. attorney during his 1986 confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship.
The Alabama senator devoted more space to that case than any other in a questionnaire he submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the attorney general post. That suggests the matter is likely to come up again during his January 10th and 11th confirmation hearing.
The 1985 prosecution involved three black civil rights activists accused of tampering with large numbers of absentee ballots in Perry County, Alabama. The defendants argued they were assisting voters who were poor and uneducated. They were acquitted within hours.
