No death-penalty doubts at justice: DNA testing and racial bias raise questions of fairness--but not with Ashcroft. (Court Packing).(Attorney General John Ashcroft)

In a time of growing doubt about whether the death penalty is being administered fairly and accurately, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is hewing to a policy of full speed ahead in implementing it. "He's the anti-Ryan," says David Bruck, a federal capital-defense lawyer in Columbia, S.C., contrasting Ashcroft with former Gov. George Ryan (R-Ill.), whose misgivings about the death penalty have struck a national chord.

Ashcroft took office in February 2001. Four months later, the attorney general issued what amounted to a clean bill of health for the federal ...