In 1986, Coretta Scott King, the widow of civil right advocate Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter deeply inspired by the life philosophy of her husband about racial practices of Alabama state senator Jeff Sessions, at that time a candidate for federal judge, who was accused of using his political powers to intimidate black voters. Her testimonial was read in the United States Congress and led to Sessions´ defeat. After 30 years, Jeff Sessions became Attorney general nominee and the letter was fully published.

The letter was not, however, put into the official congressional record for unknown reasons and the public was unaware of its existence until Tuesday. Now Sessions is before the Senate for confirmation, this time as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general. This eloquently written ten page letter was published by the Washington Post to inform the public of the future Attorney General´s past.
The content of the letter may have a harming effect on Sessions since he was a notable supporter of civil rights movements connected to Kings. Nevertheless, it is not expected that the publishing of the letter could have a negative effect on his nomination since the US Senate is controlled by the Republicans and the chamber itself rejects nominations only in a rare number of cases.