Candidate for Civil Rights Post Withdraws

WASHINGTON John Payton, a Washington lawyer widely thought to bethe leading contender for the Justice Department's top civil rightspost, withdrew his name from consideration Friday.

Payton's decision came in a letter to Attorney General JanetReno one day after Reno praised Payton as "a fine, dedicated,wonderful lawyer who would make a splendid assistant attorney generalfor the Civil Rights Division."

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressedreservations about Payton, the corporation counsel for the Districtof Columbia, because he has not voted in numerous elections.Enforcing voting rights is a big part of the Justice Department job.

Payton decided to withdraw his name after "he realized therewasn't the support there for him," said a Justice Department officialwho spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another potential Justice Department nominee also is pulling outof the running for a different position at the department. GeraldTorres asked that he not be considered to head the environment andnatural resources division. President Clinton said eight months agothat Torres was the leading candidate for the job.

Just Thursday, Reno told reporters she still expected Clinton tonominate Torres, and she praised Payton after news stories speculatedthat he would be dropped from consideration, in part because of thelukewarm reaction from the black caucus.

Payton is highly regarded by civil rights activists for hishandling of employment discrimination cases when he was a privateattorney.

He was a partner at the prestigious Washington law firm ofWilmer, Cutler and Pickering before he was appointed D.C. corporationcounsel in 1991.

The appointment of Payton, who is black, could have helpedimprove Clinton's relations with civil rights activists still angeredby his abandonment of Lani Guinier's nomination to head that divisionafter she was assailed by conservatives for some of her views.

Torres has worked at the department since the spring as deputyassistant attorney general, and he will remain as a counsel to Reno,becoming one of her senior advisers, he said in a letter to attorneysin the division he once hoped to lead.

Justice Department officials said there was no problem withTorres' background check, and he was not the subject or target of anyinvestigation.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported in October that hisnomination was clouded by unresolved allegations involving someassociates in a New York law firm where he once worked.