| Author |
Message |
    
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10504
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 7:44 am: | 
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http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11136502/
Guess the Bushies forgot to find out his views on the death penalty before nominating him. 
Did this come up during the hearings? |
Guy
Supporter
Username: Vandalay
Post Number: 1479
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 8:07 am: |
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"At events throughout Martin Luther King Day earlier this month commemorating the great civil rights leader, countless people who care about civil rights today emphasized the major threat that Alito poses to our values of equality and justice if he becomes a member of the Supreme Court, with the power to roll back so much of the extraordinary progress we've made. I was inspired by their passion and commitment to defend the progress we've made in our country's history."
Ted Kennedy |
tjohn
Supporter
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 4008
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 8:33 am: |
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Alito is well-qualified for his position. Moreover, while he is undoubtedly conservative, I think he is also aware that when you on are the Supreme Court, the buck truly stops here. So, perhaps he will decide somethings a bit differently than he has in the past. |
Eats Shoots & Leaves
Citizen
Username: Mfpark
Post Number: 2976
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 9:39 am: |
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Don't get too excited--all he did was vote to uphold a stay while the Court decides which case of three to use to look at death penalty appeal issues in this term. It does not mean he is opposed to the death penalty--he could easily have done this on narrow procedural grounds. |
bettyd
Citizen
Username: Badjtdso
Post Number: 56
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 10:28 am: |
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tjohn,
I think your thought may be correct. Sure he's a staunch conservative, but it was easy to be the dissenter and write conservative opinions when he was on a lower appellate court and knew the majority was going to rule the opposite. He got to say his piece but it didn't become precedent. There is much more gravitas to decisions coming from the Supreme Court, and if he will be the swing vote on a major issue affecting millions of Americans, maybe he will become less conservative, a la Souter. On abortion for example, even though he is obviously personally against it and may vote for restrictions, i.e., banning partial birth abortion as long as there is an exception for the health of the woman, perhaps he will reason, as mony other conservative jurists have, that the decision is a private one that should be left to the woman and her medical care provider.
But, as ES&L said, let's not get too excited. We have yet to see how his decisions go and how he evolves as a justice of the final court in the land.
For all the conservatives who crowed about his confirmation, he may not turn out to be as conservative as they had hoped. A lifetime appointment can cut both ways. He is beholden to nobody (Bush and Republican conservatives included) now that he is on the bench for life. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10516
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 10:58 am: |
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bettyd, this can be read in another way. He may be personally opposed to the death penalty because of his believes and with the life time appointment he feels free to vote his conscience. |
Smarty Jones
Citizen
Username: Birdstone
Post Number: 308
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 11:02 am: |
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Death Penalty has got to go....I'm loving the Alito nomination, and I think he's going to make us proud on ALL fronts. |
bettyd
Citizen
Username: Badjtdso
Post Number: 57
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 11:25 am: |
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Bob K,
True. Time will show us where he goes. I just wanted to point out that his decisions will now have a much greater impact, and this has caused some justices to temper their personal beliefs and become a little more "middle of the road" in their judicial decisions, for want of a better term. Lewis Powell is another justice that comes to mind. He was a Republican appointee (Nixon I beleive) with a conservative background who turned out to lean a little to the liberal side, which disappointed many conservatives in the 70's and 80's, kind of like Souter now. Again, who knows but we shall see. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 5124
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 1:31 pm: |
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If you paid attention to Alito's testimony, this wouldn't be at all surprising. |
TomR
Citizen
Username: Tomr
Post Number: 957
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2006 - 3:07 pm: |
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Smarty,
Why does it have to go?
TomR |
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