William H. Pryor, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William "Bill" Holcombe Pryor, Jr. (b. April 26, 1962, Mobile, Alabama) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist. He was the former attorney general of the State of Alabama from 1997 to 2004. He presently serves as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
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[edit] Background
Born in Mobile, Alabama and raised a devout Roman Catholic, attending McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Pryor earned his B.A. from Northeast Louisiana University in 1984 and his J.D. from Tulane University School of Law in 1987, where he served as editor in chief of the Tulane Law Review. Pryor served as a law clerk to Judge John Minor Wisdom of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1987 to 1988. Pryor worked as a private attorney from 1988-95, serving as adjunct professor at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University from 1989-95. From 1995-97, he served as Alabama deputy attorney general and became Alabama attorney general in 1997. He was, at that time, the youngest state attorney general in the United States.
Pryor received national attention in 2003 when he called for the removal of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who had disobeyed a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building. Pryor said that although he agreed with the propriety of displaying the Ten Commandments in a courthouse, he was bound to follow the court order and uphold the rule of law. Pryor personally prosecuted Moore for violations of the Canons of Judicial Ethics, and the Alabama Court of the Judiciary unanimously removed Moore from office.
[edit] Nomination and Confirmation
Pryor was nominated by President Bush on April 9, 2003 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. After his nomination stalled in the Senate due to Democratic opposition, he was installed as judge via recess appointment on February 20, 2004 during the Congress's recess period, bypassing the U.S. Senate confirmation process. Pryor resigned as attorney general that same day and took his judicial oath for a term lasting until the end of 2006 when the next Congressional session begins.
Many Democrats criticized him for his comments regarding homosexuality and abortion, as well as for what they described as his extreme right-wing views and reputation as a conservative who lacked the temperament to avoid being an "activist" judge. Pryor's nomination was prevented from being put to a vote in the U.S. Senate by Democrats who had filibustered his nomination.
On May 23, 2005 Senator John McCain announced an agreement between seven Republican and seven Democratic U.S. Senators, the Gang of 14, to ensure an up-or-down vote on Pryor and several other stalled Bush nominees, including Priscilla Owen and Janice Rogers Brown. On June 9, 2005, he was confirmed to the Eleventh Circuit by a vote of (53-45). He received his commission on June 10, 2005 and on June 20, 2005, he was sworn in to his new lifetime judicial position at the age of 43.
[edit] Family
Pryor is married to Kristan Wilson Pryor, and the couple has two daughters, Caroline and Victoria Pryor. Pryor's father, Holcombe, is a Roman Catholic deacon; he teaches at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School.
William H. Pryor, Jr. is not related to Will Pryor, the current Democratic candidate for the 32nd U.S. Congressional District seat in the state of Texas or to former Arkansas politician David Pryor or Mark Pryor, the current Democrat U.S. Senator from Arkansas.
