E-mail a friendOctober 2, 2006
State legislator and congressional candidate Keith Ellison responds to the attention he's getting for being a Black Muslim in Minnesota. Los Angeles Times journalist Jim Newton discusses the new Supreme Court term.
Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison
After his victory in the recent primary, Minnesota state legislator Keith Ellison could become the first Muslim to serve in Congress. Favored to win in his heavily Democratic district, he would also be the first African American representative from the state. Ellison was raised in a Catholic household in Detroit and converted to Islam as a Wayne State University undergrad. He attended law school in Minnesota and maintains his law practice. He has also been a public affairs radio program host.
Jim Newton
Jim Newton
Journalist Jim Newton has spent much of his life writing about his native California, especially its politics, government and legal affairs. The Los Angeles Times' City-County Bureau Chief shared in the paper's Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of the '92 riots and the '94 Northridge Earthquake. He previously worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The New York Times. Newton took a leave of absence to focus on his book, Justice for All, a biography of former Chief Justice and California Gov. Earl Warren.