Today’s Washington Times article on Judge Samuel Alito’s job application for a new position in the Reagan Justice Department demonstrates his devotion to ultraconservative causes, and contradicts administration attempts to cast him as a mainstream conservative, said Ralph G. Neas, President, People For the American Way. He had the following comments:

“According to the report, Judge Alito’s letter shows fervent allegiance to virtually every pet cause of the radical right. He opposes a woman’s constitutional right to reproductive freedom. He appears to disagree with longstanding Supreme Court decisions underlying the ‘one man, one vote’ principle for drawing voting districts. He sees a role for government in ‘protecting traditional values,’ which is often right-wing code language for letting the government interfere in private decisions about medical care, religion and private sexual conduct.

“And unlike Chief Justice John Roberts, Alito says these are his own strong personal views, and not just those of the administration he was working for.

“Combined with his judicial record, Judge Alito’s letter underscores our concern that he would vote to turn back the clock on decades of judicial precedent protecting privacy, equal opportunity, religious freedom, and so much more. And it is further evidence that if Samuel Alito is confirmed to replace Sandra Day O’Connor, he will shift the Supreme Court dramatically to the right for decades to come.”

Neas urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to request the Bush Administration to provide full access to all relevant documents from Alito’s time in the Reagan Administration, so they can have a full understanding of his record in time for his confirmation hearing.