The Supreme Court Alito Hearings

[Count of Montesano]

Trying to move away from the countless "America sucks and you're a fat-ass inbred hick! No it doesn't, you bunch of European flamers!" and start discussion on something a little more meaningful - the Supreme Court Senate hearings regarding Justice Samuel Alito.

I know quite a few liberals here in Seattle are describing Alito as someone who will outlaw abortion and allow President Bush to become dictator for life. There's also the question of whether he supports civil rights, having supposedly been a member of some group at Princeton that in the 60s and 70s wanted to bar women and minorities from attending the Ivy League School. Some critics have also described how Alito regularly backed the rights of big business versus the rights of citizens in many of his decisions.

The following article lays out many of these arguments against Alito becoming a Supreme Court judge if you want to get more details:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060123/editors

Personally, I have no problem with Alito becoming a Supreme Court judge. He has a great deal of experience, other judges describe him as being very analytical and careful when making decisions, and he received a "well qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

Alito is probably the most fair-minded candidate President Bush is going to appoint to the Supreme Court, since Bush will not appoint a liberal or a moderate. There are plenty of cases where conservative nominees have turned out to be very impartial judges once they joined the Supreme Court; Alito is likely no exception.

Thoughts, opinions, gripes on the matter?

[Ulyaoth]

He's fine.

[Justinian]

I really don't know what to think of him. He doesn't seem bad to me; nor does he seem to be an outstanding candidate. I really wish Bush would get off his high horse and appoint a moderate - from a judicial standpoint, isn't grabbing someone in the middle of the political spectrum rather fairer? However, that won't happen, so I have no serious objections.

Sometimes I feel like the left is angry about candidates out of habit, by the way. Like they don't really have a bone to pick with Alito, they have a bone to pick with conservative judges - and conservatives - in general. And vice versa, of course.

What a lovely country this is.

[Ulyaoth]

Sometimes I feel like the left is angry about candidates out of habit, by the way. Like they don't really have a bone to pick with Alito, they have a bone to pick with conservative judges - and conservatives - in general. And vice versa, of course.

What a lovely country this is.

They have a bone to pick with Bush using the powers he was granted by the past two presidential elections. I guess they want him to just not appoint a judge until the get Hillary in.

[Sétanta]

he is okay i guess
the best availible i suppose
but chief justice is a bit far i think

[crazyhorse]

he is okay i guess
the best availible i suppose
but chief justice is a bit far i think

He wouldn't be chief justice. Roberts is already in that position.

I'm happy with Alito. I don't think that the left realizes that if they continue to complain about these selections and do decide to filibuster, that Bush will make his new nominees more and more conservative. Plus it's the power of the president to appoint new justices. Democrats are acting as this is a new realization to them. Stop whining and try that much harder to win the following elections so you can appoint justices.

[danzig]

I really don't know what to think of him. He doesn't seem bad to me; nor does he seem to be an outstanding candidate. I really wish Bush would get off his high horse and appoint a moderate - from a judicial standpoint, isn't grabbing someone in the middle of the political spectrum rather fairer? However, that won't happen, so I have no serious objections.

Sometimes I feel like the left is angry about candidates out of habit, by the way. Like they don't really have a bone to pick with Alito, they have a bone to pick with conservative judges - and conservatives - in general. And vice versa, of course.

What a lovely country this is.

But its not going to happen, the moment a President has the chance they try and stack the court. If Clinton had gotten another pick you can be certain it would have been another Ginsburg/radical left judge. Moderates would be nice (and preferred) but just no President is going to take that risk with a lifetime appointment it seems. Only thing I dont like about the hearings so far is Senator Fat Ass er I mean Ted Kennedy who just to drip venom every time he opens his mouth if only Ted had been shot instead of JFK...

[Last Roman]

since Bush will not appoint a liberal or a moderate.

thats for sure. I suppose since a conserative is going going to fill the seat either way (though I wish he would pick a moderate, like all judges should be), I suppose Altio's not a horrible choice. But I cant get rid of the feeling that he is more of a Bush yes-man than he lets on

[Sétanta]

He wouldn't be chief justice. Roberts is already in that position.

thats who i was thinking of...balancing TWC, homework, politics and my social life at the same time is hard dontcha know

[Hub'ite]

He seems good to me.

[Big War Bird]

I think Alito is a supreme pick for the Supreme Court. I've been watching the hearing and find him to exceptionally knowledgeable on the laws of this country. I've learned quite a bit by listening to him. His record is one of judicial conservatism, which of course is what a judge should be. it is after all, the role of the judiciary to interpret law, not create them.

[Atheist Peace]

I think he's a very, very good nominee. I strongly hope that he gets confirmed, and I have not seen anything wrong with him. He seems that he may be for overturning Roe v. Wade, but that isn't why you confirm or not. He is highly qualified, and an expert on constitutional law, and served 15 years as a judge already. Any Democrats that drudge up an excuse to vote no are just plain disgraceful.

Also, I would like to note that I fully agreed with Senator Lindsey Graham in his comments today, his comparison to Ginsburg showed how childish all of this really is. He did highly exxagerate the "attacks" on Alito for gain, but he was still right.

[GambleFish]

I think he's a very, very good nominee. I strongly hope that he gets confirmed, and I have not seen anything wrong with him. He seems that he may be for overturning Roe v. Wade, but that isn't why you confirm or not. He is highly qualified, and an expert on constitutional law, and served 15 years as a judge already. Any Democrats that drudge up an excuse to vote no are just plain disgraceful.

Also, I would like to note that I fully agreed with Senator Lindsey Graham in his comments today, his comparison to Ginsburg showed how childish all of this really is. He did highly exxagerate the "attacks" on Alito for gain, but he was still right.

I was going to bring up Linsey Graham also - he was absolutely correct in his views on the matter. Basically the entire trial was Democrats scrutinizing every minute detail of his life and career in the hopes of finding a true, serious blemish. They were trying to find fault with all of his statements, and he only gained a little relief when Republicans like Senator Graham spoke up and either gave him a good oppurtunity to clarify his statements and to show his positive attributes. If there were only democratic senators in this trial, I for one would have never seen a single reason why Alito had ever been chosen. As a democrat, I was a little annoyed with people like Kennedy and Feingold(sp?) for being so relentless and uncompromising. I found the whole scene between Kennedy and the head of the trail (forgot his nmae) especially funny.

But even so, you can understand the democrats' frustration at not knowing for sure what his views on the matters are. I don't think his view would make a difference, because he has proven himself a very decent and impartial judge, which bodes well for decisions that he might make in the future. He evaded questions well enough and the whole CAP matter is just stupid - he was in college, for heaven's sake. Decades ago.

Even though he is classified as a conservative judge, he is not an activist - and it seems to me that he will be a fitting addition to the Supreme court. Plus we aren't likely to find someone as qualified as him.

(I felt so sorry for his family, especially his wife - he has to sit stoney-faced throught the hearings while senators of the United States of America question and slander his activities of decades long passed. He is relentlessly grilled and you get the feeling sometimes that the senators (especially the democrats) are really treating him in a way that he doesn't deserve. I supported Lindsey Graham's comments, even though they might have been made only to make the democrats look bad, which I doubt.)


Also - If you didn't catch it above, I am a democrat. The person I feel has acted the most poorly throughtout the trial is my own senator - Edward Kennedy. Even though I understand the reasons behind his aggressive questioning, I still don't abrove of them.

[Ulyaoth]

I think he's a very, very good nominee. I strongly hope that he gets confirmed, and I have not seen anything wrong with him. He seems that he may be for overturning Roe v. Wade, but that isn't why you confirm or not. He is highly qualified, and an expert on constitutional law, and served 15 years as a judge already. Any Democrats that drudge up an excuse to vote no are just plain disgraceful.

Also, I would like to note that I fully agreed with Senator Lindsey Graham in his comments today, his comparison to Ginsburg showed how childish all of this really is. He did highly exxagerate the "attacks" on Alito for gain, but he was still right.

Schumer has said he'll not vote for anyone Bush chooses to appoint I believe. Basically why I hate both our senators.

[Sétanta]

Schumer has said he'll not vote for anyone Bush chooses to appoint I believe. Basically why I hate both our senators.

welcome to my world

[Atheist Peace]

Schumer has said he'll not vote for anyone Bush chooses to appoint I believe. Basically why I hate both our senators.

He's a complete tool since the last election. He's become one of the Democratic "leaders"

[Farnan]

Wow, AP supports him, not something I expected.

[Kanaric]

Dont particularly care about him at the moment. Though i highly dislike any "big brother" or big government. IMO if he supports any of that he shouldn't be on their and the republicans who put him up should be considered traitors to their party.

I'd put money on him not being that, justices are always masked as being something they end up not being.

[Kanaric]

All politcians do that kind of thing. Republicans blocked TONS of judges in the 90s, for example. Its just simply what their job is.... to be dicks.

[Kanaric]

Schumer has said he'll not vote for anyone Bush chooses to appoint I believe. Basically why I hate both our senators.

Did he SERIOULY say that? Rofl, what a fool..... i'm tried of these idiotic politicians denying progress simply out of principle and not for any GOOD reason.