Committee Dems Make Compelling Case Against Confirmation

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito advanced to the full Senate on a 10-8 vote in the Judiciary Committee today. People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas said the committee’s Democratic members “made a compelling case against Alito’s confirmation and set an example of leadership for their colleagues.”

“Samuel Alito’s record is clear, and so is the threat posed by his nomination,” said Neas. “Presidential power unchecked by judicial oversight. Congress stripped of its ability to protect our water from polluters. Women denied the right to make the most intimate choices about family and health without government interference. Americans seeking protection from abuses of power by corporations and government agencies shut out of the federal courts. Alito’s America should frighten all Americans who favor checks and balances and who fear one wing of one party having absolute power.”

“Americans cannot count on Samuel Alito to uphold their rights and legal protections,” said Neas. “We must count on senators to protect the Constitution by doing everything they can to prevent Judge Alito from becoming Justice Alito.”

“If Sam Alito is confirmed, he will be a walking constitutional amendment, becoming the fifth and decisive vote to overturn dozens of well-settled Supreme Court precedents going back seven decades,” Neas said. “His confirmation would be a constitutional disaster.”

People For the American Way has published numerous reports on Samuel Alito’s record, including an analysis of his confirmation hearings. See www.SaveTheCourt.org.