NJ Record: No to Alito

[ProSense]

No on Alito

Tuesday, January 17, 2006
THE RECORD'S EDITORIAL STAFF

LAST week's extensive hearings did nothing to dispel the conclusion of just about everybody that Samuel Alito Jr. would almost certainly tilt the U.S. Supreme Court well to the right.

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But it's also the reason why any senator concerned with a woman's right to an abortion, the rights of individuals versus the rights of the federal government and big corporations, and the abuse of presidential power must vote against Mr. Alito's confirmation.

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But in a time of what can only be called an imperial presidency, with the White House defying congressional law and the Constitution, Mr. Alito offered no assurance that he would vote to rein in the Bush administration or any future abuse of presidential authority.

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That could mean huge setbacks for decades to come on the environment, on civil rights, civil liberties, privacy and the balance of power in government.

http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0MDUmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY4NjE3MDAmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNA==

[no_hypocrisy]

1. The circulation of this paper encompasses Alito's stomping

grounds residentially and Third Circuit-wise. Interesting.

[ProSense]

2. Yes, and another interesting article: GOP moderates right to oppose Alito

John Nichols: GOP moderates right to oppose Alito
By John Nichols

Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees should always be about more than the abortion debate. And the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to serve on the high court touched on a broad variety of issues including the essential question of whether the court will address the Bush administration's abuses of authority by enforcing the constitutional balance of powers.

But, as has been the case in confirmation hearings for the better part of three decades, the search for signals on the nominee's stance on reproductive rights matters played a dominant role in the advise and consent process that played out in Washington last week.

In something of a deviation from many past confirmation hearings, however, the dialogue about choice provided useful insights into Alito's activist approach to judging. And those insights led an influential moderate Republican group to come out against the nominee.

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Republican Majority for Choice is the largest pro-choice group in the Republican Party and has more influence than most moderate groups with GOP senators. In addition to Specter, three other Republican senators Rhode Island's Lincoln Chafee, and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine serve on the Republican Majority for Choice advisory council. The question now is whether those senators were paying as close attention to Alito's testimony as the group they advise.

more...

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/index.php?ntid=69066&ntpid=0