Just weeks after the election, President Bush nominated White House counsel Alberto Gonzales to be the next Attorney General of the United States.

Given his role in numerous Bush Administration attacks on civil and human rights as White House chief counsel, his selection is being met with widespread opposition. More than two dozen civil rights and human rights groups have raised what they call “serious concerns” about the nominee, largely over his efforts to support the White House in its attempts to override the Geneva Conventions on torture. (The groups include Amnesty International USA, Human Rights First, Global Rights and Human Rights Watch.)

The Senate confirmation hearings on Gonzales are approaching, and though people have been expecting a relatively easy confirmation, you never know how things turn, and his hearings are an opportune time to raise concern about the direction in which he intends to lead the Justice Department.

So contact your elected reps and urge them to question Gonzales thoroughly on his troubling history before putting his confirmation to a vote.

Click here to send a letter to Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter, who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee through the hearings, click here to read and circulate David Cole’s Nation editorial on why Gonzales is the wrong choice, and check out the People for the American Way’s excellent site for related resources.