Changes

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==Controversies==

"There will be no one to the right of Sam Alito on this Court. This is a pretty hardcore fellow on [[abortion]] issues." --Jonathan Turley, [http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/31/alito-turley/ ''Think Progress''], October 31, 2005. [http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/10/31.html#a5629 Video], ''Crooks and Liars''.

"'Of course he's against abortion,' his 90-year-old mother Rose told reporters at her home in Hamilton, N.J." --[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051031/ap_on_go_su_co/bush_scotus_52&printer=1 Associated Press], October 31, 2005.

Alito is considered to be a favorite of the [[conservative]] movement. Comparisons to Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] have led some lawyers to give Alito the nickname "Scalito." [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/28/AR2005102802085.html]

Senate Minority Leader [[Harry Reid]] (D-Nevada) warned President Bush not to nominate Alito as he is seen as a very [[conservative]] judge and an anti-abortionist due to his involvement in the [[Planned Parenthood]] of Southeastern PA. v. Casey [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=505&invol=833 case] in 1992. [http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/politics/12858879.htm] [http://www.now.org/issues/judicial/supreme/potentialnominees.html?printable]

"Having finally tracked down and read Judge Alito's 3rd Circuit [http://www.confirmthem.com/?p=1764#comment-62642 dissent] in Planned Parenthood v Casey, I certainly hope that over the next several weeks pro-choice voters in Maine (Snowe, Collins) Rhode Island (Chafee) Ohio (Voinovich, DeWine) and the other haunts of 'moderate' Republicans are made aware of the fact that Bush's nominee believes husbands have a vested property right in their wives' uteruses." --Billmon, [http://billmon.org/archives/002320.html ''Whiskey Bar''], October 31, 2005.

"If confirmed, Samuel Alito would be the [http://www.adherents.com/adh_sc.html fifth Roman Catholic on the current Supreme Court] and the 11th Catholic to serve in the court's history." The others currently on the Supreme Court are: Antonin Scalia, 1986-present; [[Anthony Kennedy]], 1988-present; [[Clarence Thomas]], 1991-present (converted after joining SC); and [[John Roberts]], chief justice, 2005-present. [http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/rssstory.mpl/politics/3427390]

"The [[Opus Dei]] Crowd appears to be firmly entrenched in our power structure." --Buck Batard, [http://badattitudes.com/MT/ ''Bad Attitudes''], October 31, 2005.

"It's interesting to note that when Sam became U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, and needed to appoint his First Assistant U.S. Attorney (his top deputy), he looked outside the office and brought on board a highly experienced prosecutor from the Southern District of New York by the name of [[Michael Chertoff]]. --Eric, [http://www.isthatlegal.org/archives/2005/10/its_alito.html ''Is That Legal?''], October 31, 2005.

"After a clerkship with 3rd Circuit Judge Leonard I. Garth, Alito worked as a front-line federal prosecutor in New Jersey for four years. But soon after President [[Ronald Reagan]] was elected, Alito joined the [[Office of the Solicitor General]], staying for four years and '''helping to decide what position the administration would take in cases up for review by the Supreme Court'''.

"Before becoming a judge, after a short stint as a law clerk for a federal judge, Alito's entire career -- [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/31/politics/politicsspecial1/31cnd-court.html?pagewanted=2 from 1977 to 1990] -- was as a prosecutor or attorney for the Government." --[http://talkleft.com/new_archives/012950.html ''Talk Left''], October 31, 2005.

"Three years ago Alito drew conflict-of-interest accusations after he upheld a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit against the [[Vanguard Group]]. Alito had hundreds of thousands of dollars invested with the mutual fund company at the time. He denied doing anything improper but recused himself from further involvement in the case." --Christopher Lee, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102700813.html ''Washington Post''], October 28, 2005.

"Alito's ruling, issued on April 12, 2002, was withdrawn the following year by [[Anthony Joseph Scirica]], the chief administrative judge for the 3rd Circuit where Alito worked. Scirica acted after the widow complained in a court motion that Alito's participation was 'unlawful' under judicial ethics rules." --R. Jeffrey Smith, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/31/AR2005103101686.html?nav=hcmodule ''Washington Post''], November 1, 2005.

"Well, here's one portion of his resume we hope gets some very, very close scrutiny over the next few weeks, before his confirmation hearings.

"Specifically, what were the circumstances of Alito getting a coveted slot in the Army Reserves that year, while the Vietnam War was still raging? Is Alito yet another 'chickenhawk' who avoided the war and now will be deciding on life-or-death cases involving our young men and women [[Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Three: Quagmire|fighting in Iraq]] and elsewhere today?" --[http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002449.html ''Attytood''], October 31, 2005.

"Wasting no time, Alito went to the Capitol shortly after the announcement to meet with lawmakers. Accompanied by two of his children and Sen. Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]], Alito paused first to pay his respects at the coffin of the late civil rights pioneer [[Rosa Parks]] in the Capitol rotunda." --Ron Fournier, [http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH_SCOTUS?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-10-31-08-32-36 Associated Press], October 31, 2005.