Alito as Supreme Court Justice: Are you concerned?

I am. Once he is nominated to the Supreme Court say farewell to: Separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose. Any others? Dang, aren't these enough? Oh, his deference to power. Eeesh.

Roberts and Alito are a good start, but untill we get rid of Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer there's still work to be done.

Alito worries me, mainly for the Unitary Executive crap... but also for civil rights. But let me make a more general statement.

It worries me when a judge is confirmed on a party line vote. It worries me when there is so much strong fear and division about an appointment that is supposed to justly and fairly represent the entire nation without regard to political stripe.

This position demands a naieve belief that the Democratic opposition to Alito is principle, rathter than partisan based.

Your worry is better directed to the process than the nominee.

Ruth Ginsberg was every bit as unpopular among conservatives as Alito is among Liberals, and yet she was confirmed with an overwhelmingly majority.

Republicans with Ginzberg could have taken the same partisan stance as the Democrats have with Alito. Would that have cause you the same concern. Sorry, but I doubt it.

While it is possible that a party line vote represents a principle line vote, it is highly unlikely. Whenever we see party line votes, we are seeing partisan considerations at play.

This is why I feel a filibuster is not only appropriate, but required.

The filibuster is the best way to have justices that are at least acceptable to the moderates on both sides of the contentious issues for which he will act as arbiter.

And so since a filibuster did not transpire we must assume
that moderates on both sides of the political spectrum don't have a problem with Alito. What will be interesting is whether you and other prototypical Liberals accept this resolution, or whether you will insist that some sort of sinister Republican process took place.

A system where the minority party has the ability to block a judge described by Sen. Frist as a "nightmare" for a segment of our society is a good thing. I would feel the same way if a liberal president selected a judge that was feared by a segment of the right.

But alas, what worries me most is that there is no opposition party in the United States.

No, what worries you is that there is not an opposition party that can exert its will on American policy. Your party lost. A reasonable opposition to the side that won would not expect that its influence will extend beyond challanges to the status quo. A filibuster of Alito is an attempt to hijack a democratic election.

When we were trying to stop the Iraq war... the Democrats largely rolled over after making a little meaningless noise. The Democrats look like they will do much of the same with Alito.

It scares me that the Democrats are little more than the moderate wing of the Republican party.

And it probably scares extreme Right-Wingers that the Republicans are little more than the moderate wing of the Democratic Party.

Its all moot now.
Alito WAS confirmed.
That is the best thing that can happen to the USSC right now,IMNTBHO.

Cliff Hanger wrote:

I am. Once he is nominated to the Supreme Court say farewell to: Separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose. Any others? Dang, aren't these enough? Oh, his deference to power. Eeesh.

How you reach these conclusions is a mystery.

Finn d'Abuzz wrote:

Cliff Hanger wrote:

I am. Once he is nominated to the Supreme Court say farewell to: Separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose. Any others? Dang, aren't these enough? Oh, his deference to power. Eeesh.

How you reach these conclusions is a mystery.

A mystery, no. An inkling that this is the direction, I hope I am wrong.

I am. Once he is nominated to the Supreme Court say farewell to: Separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose. Any others? Dang, aren't these enough? Oh, his deference to power. Eeesh.

Cliff Hanger wrote:

I am. Once he is nominated to the Supreme Court say farewell to: Separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose. Any others? Dang, aren't these enough? Oh, his deference to power. Eeesh.

Not if Alito's future votes are patterned after his first one, in which he sided with the liberal majority on a death penalty case.

On February 2, the New York Times wrote:

Full Article (registration required).

Admittedly this was just one vote, and it didn't affect the outcome. But for what it's worth, Alito's vote did contradict the pessimists among us who see him as an extremist. And it confirmed optimists like myself, who have come to see him as a careful, open-minded, benign type of conservative.

Admittedly this was just one vote, and it didn't affect the outcome. But for what it's worth, Alito's vote did contradict the pessimists among us who see him as an extremist. And it confirmed optimists like myself, who have come to see him as a careful, open-minded, benign type of conservative.

The "extremist" label is only believed by the extremists themselves. The extreme left is so far out in left field, they have lost touch with reality.

Perhaps I am a bit unfamiliar with how the Supreme Court works, but I for one, was a bit shocked that he was sworn in one day, and voting on a case within a day! How does one even have a chance to study the case, given all the hoops he has been jumping through lately?

okie wrote:

Perhaps I am a bit unfamiliar with how the Supreme Court works, but I for one, was a bit shocked that he was sworn in one day, and voting on a case within a day! How does one even have a chance to study the case, given all the hoops he has been jumping through lately?

I'm no attorney, but those folks are some of the most brilliant people on the planet capable I am sure of working at "warp" speed compared to us common folk.