dictionary

Despite election uncertainty, Reno confident about future

Attorney General Reno expresses confidence that the country will unify after the election process is finalized

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As she looked to a future in her home state of Florida following the Clinton administration, Attorney General Janet Reno Thursday predicted the country would emerge from the election impasse intact.

"I have never been so confident of this country's future as I have watching America respond in these last couple of days," Reno said in her weekly briefing with members of the news media.

"It will be important that people respond, and I think they are responding, in a way that appreciates the fact that, if we work together, we can make it work."

MESSAGE BOARD The U.S. Presidential Election

CASE FILE Reviewing the Vote: The U.S. Supreme Court reviews the Florida election case   COURT DOCUMENTS Key election-related petitions and briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court and Florida courts Provided by FindLaw (These require Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™) • George W. Bush petitions for appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and related documents • Florida Supreme Court ruling on inclusion of ballot recounts and related documents • Florida Election Code and related laws • Notable cases on election law • Full text of filings in election lawsuits

LEGAL RESOURCES Latest Legal News Law Library FindLaw Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes

Reno said she had received two letters from NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and spoken with him about plans by the civil rights organization to sue over alleged voting irregularities during the presidential election.

To ease the transition, the Justice Department was making FBI background check forms available to cabinet candidates, who must fill them out prior to their appointments. So far, no completed forms had been received from either side, she said.

Noting that the nation appears evenly divided between those who favor Republican George W. Bush and those who favor Democrat Al Gore, Reno said both sides would need to come together "to address the future, to address the issues and the challenges that we have, and I think we can do it together."

Reno, who served as district attorney in Miami, said she was preparing her resignation letter and "can't wait to get home" to Florida.

Asked whether she would feel comfortable returning to a state where many Cuban-Americans expressed open disdain for her handling of the return of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to Cuba, Reno recounted a favorable incident Tuesday at Miami International Airport. "One lady came to me and took me by the hand and she said, 'We want you to come home.' "

Florida panel OKs special legislative session on electors
November 30, 2000
Gore camp says time is running out for ballot recounts
November 30, 2000

See related sites about LAW

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.