Alito Hearings Begin at Noon
The confirmation hearings for Judge Sam Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States begin today at noon. However, as you can imagine, the posturing on this nomination has already begun this morning. I posted to our website a statement that addresses our concerns in order to make sure that Judge Alito receives a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote by January 20th. It is also possible today that the Supreme Court could issue an order as to whether they are going to hear the partial-birth abortion case out of Nebraska. This would add even more intrigue to the confirmation hearing.
I am heading up a team of our senior lawyers and Governmental Affairs staff as we prepare for the attacks that will be made on Judge Alitos character and opinions. It is important to remember that the American Bar Association (ABA) gave Judge Alito their highest ranking, well qualified. Senator Patrick Leahy has previously called the ABAs determination the Gold Standard. I expect a broad series of questioning on issues ranging from abortion to executive power, including the War on Terrorism. I am also confident there will be quite a bit of discussion about Judge Alitos church-state decisions. Judge Alito has shown a conservative judicial philosophy that coincides significantly with the decisions we have advocated in court cases throughout the country, including the Supreme Court of the United States.
Our radio broadcast will be live this afternoon from Washington, DC, where we will be giving you up-to-the-minute reports. One area of focus we are dealing with right now is to make sure that a vote takes place on Judge Alitos nomination by January 20th. It is anticipated that the hearings will be completed this week. There are already calls by some in the Senate to delay the January 20th vote date. In light of the major cases that the Supreme Court has agreed to take, it is imperative that Judge Alito receive an up-or-down vote on January 20th. This is a critical time for the Court and for our country. We will keep you updated at www.aclj.org.