Regrets Mr Ashcroft has denied he is a racist, one of the most emotive charges against him. In one of his few public statements since his nomination in December, Mr Ashcroft said he opposed the police practice of targeting members of racial minorities for questioning. Mr Ashcroft has also said he regrets his meeting last September with the leader of a conservative group who holds controversial views on racial issues. He took a lot of criticism for that meeting, but later said he would not have done it if had known of the man's opinions. He angered Democrats in 1999 by accepting an honorary degree from South Carolina's Bob Jones University, which until last year banned interracial dating.
Students still have to have parental permission.
Relgious upbringing Born 9 May 1942, in Chicago, Mr Ashcroft grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where his family had moved to be nearer to the world headquarters of the Assembly of God Church. His father was a minister in the church, and a dominant influence on the young John Ashcroft, who attended Hillcrest High School in Springfield. Before entering politics, the former senator taught business law at Southwest Missouri State University. He graduated with honours from Yale University in 1964, and earned a law degree from the University of Chicago in 1967. Since then he has held a number of political posts.