John Ashcroft just can’t keep his mouth shut and now the ACLU is stepping in on comments made by the ex-Attorney General [see previous story]

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union said outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft showed “his clear disdain for the law” in a speech Friday.

In a speech to the National Lawyers Meeting of the Federalist Society, Ashcroft warned about “activist” judges who he said were “encroaching” on the president’s constitutional powers.

The attorney general did not mention specific instances, but the Justice Department is appealing a ruling by a federal judge in Washington this week that says the administration must follow the Geneva Convention in handling terror detainees, unless an impartial tribunal shows that they are not entitled to its protections.

“The nation’s top law enforcement officer today expressed his clear disdain for the rule of law,” ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said in a statement. “The Bush administration and its attorney general nominee should immediately denounce today’s comments by outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft.”