Hearings Come to a Close in Alito Confirmation Battle
Today the hearings for the confirmation of Judge Sam Alito come to a conclusion in Washington, DC. Judge Alito has answered over 700 questions, 95% of those asked of him. This is the one of the highest percentage of answers to questions asked by Senate Judiciary Committee members in Supreme Court confirmation history. Oftentimes nominees will defer an answer, stating that the case is likely to come before them. Judge Alito only employed that answer a handful of times. For instance, Justice Ginsburg only answered 74% of the questions that were asked of her during her confirmation hearing. Chief Justice Roberts answered 88% of the questions asked of him. The bullying tactics by some on the Senate Judiciary Committee have not resulted in their desired effect. Judge Alito answered the questions and responded with dignity and professionalism. He has displayed the type of judicial temperament that will make him an excellent Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.
The schedule appears to be as follows: On January 17th, there will be a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee in order to move Judge Alitos nomination to the floor. It appears that this will be a party-line vote. Ten Republicans will vote in favor; eight Democrats will oppose. That enables the nomination to reach the floor of the Senate. The plan is for the vote of the full Senate to take place on January 20th. There is some talk this morning of either filibusters or delays. Frankly, in light of Judge Alitos performance before the Committee, I do not see how a filibuster could be employed. That being said, we still need to be prepared for this possibility. We have received over 45,000 signatures for our petition that has gone to Judiciary Committee members urging an up-or-down vote. That petition will now go to the full Senate. If you have not yet joined with us in this important effort, please click here.
Much is at stake for our country and for the courts. Judge Alitos addition to the Supreme Court of the United States will help ensure a conservative judicial philosophy with someone who respects the Constitution and will uphold the rule of law. At this critical time, we need a Justice like Sam Alito on the Supreme Court. Groups like People For the American Way, NARAL and the National Organization for Women will be running ads around the country this week. They have a formed a coalition to try to block Judge Alitos confirmation vote. We are countering this move by running ads during our radio broadcasts. If you would like to hear the ad, click here. This is a must-win confirmation vote, and I am grateful to our staff and our friends around the country who have worked so diligently on this nomination. The battle is not over. Next week will be critically important to ensure an up-or-down vote. We do not want to see a delay in this confirmation. I will keep you posted as things develop.
Updated 2:45 PM Jan. 13, 2006
Our office of Governmental Affairs in Washington, DC has just informed me that there is a possibility that the vote on Judge Alito will be delayed. I have been concerned about attempts from some on the Senate Judiciary Committee to deny an up-or-down vote on Alitos nomination. At this point, it looks like there may be a soft filibuster being planned by some in the Senate. More information will be forth coming during the day and we will keep you posted on this website.