Alito

Bush Picks a Well-Known Conservative for Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the United States may be close to a turning point. The change could have an effect on the nation for many years. President George Bush is nominating a man who could influence how the court rules on legal issues.

Bush has nominated Samuel Alito to be a Justice of the Supreme Court. Alito would replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who is retiring.

In her years on the court, O’Connor became known as the “swing vote.” Many cases are decided by a 5-to-4 vote. O’Connor frequently voted with the majority in close cases.

O’Connor is considered to be more moderate than Alito. Some of the legal opinions that O’Connor wrote to support her votes contradict opinions that Alito wrote.

Alito has been a Federal Appeals Court judge since 1990. The Supreme Court makes the final decision on cases that come from the Lower Court of Appeals. But most cases end at the Court of Appeals.

Bush nominated Alito on October 31. Alito is a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. It is based in Philadelphia. The 3rd Circuit hears appeals from lower federal courts in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Alito is one of 14 judges on the 3rd Circuit. The nation has 12 Circuits. The number of judges on each Circuit does not have to be the same. 

Senate will vote next year

The United States Senate will vote next year on the nomination. Alito needs 51 or more votes to be confirmed. The Senate has 100 Senators. Each of the 50 states elects two Senators. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold hearings on Alito’s nomination in January.

Alito is 55-years-old. He was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He graduated from Yale University’s law school. He was an attorney for the federal government before becoming a judge. He has never worked for a private law firm.

Alito is the second person that Bush nominated to replace O’Connor. The first person was Harriet Miers. She is an attorney for the President. Miers asked that her nomination be withdrawn. Bush agreed with the request four days before nominating Alito.

Miers was criticized by conservative groups. Many of the groups said she did not have a record that showed her to be conservative enough. Those groups opposed her nomination.  

Justices should rule on the facts and law

Justices are supposed to decide cases based on how the facts relate to the laws. But a nominee’s record before joining the court is always taken into consideration by the President and the Senate.

Bush said Alito understands that Justices are supposed to interpret the laws. He said they are not supposed to force their personal opinions onto their votes.

Alito’s nomination is expected to be opposed by many liberal groups. One of their main concerns is Alito’s views on abortion.

Alito’s mother told reporters that he has always been against abortion. In some of his writings as a judge, Alito has said things that seem to show he opposes abortion. But Alito also has voted to support earlier rulings by the Supreme Court. Those rulings give women the right to get an abortion.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article by Craig Gilbert