Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently sent a letter to Focus on the Family’s James Dobson thanking Dobson and his colleagues for all that they had done to support his nomination.
Justice Alito’s letter to James Dobson shows an appalling lack of judgment for someone who sits on our nation’s highest court. James Dobson has compared federal court judges to Nazis, and likened the Supreme Court to the Ku Klux Klan. He has called for the impeachment of five of Justice Alito’s colleagues – Justices Kennedy, Ginsburg, Souter, Breyer and Stevens – as well as his predecessor Sandra Day O’Connor. Dobson has said that advocates for full equality for gay and lesbian Americans are seeking the “utter destruction of the family” and he has fought hard for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Justice Alito’s obsequious and horribly inappropriate letter to James Dobson undermines the ability of millions of Americans to have confidence in Justice Alito’s independence and open-mindedness. It is a sad day for the Supreme Court, and, I fear, a harbinger of many more to come.
Dear Dr. Dobson,
This is just a short note to express my heartfelt thanks to you and the entire staff of Focus on the Family for your help and support in the past few challenging months. I would also greatly appreciate it if you would convey my appreciation to the good people from all parts of the country who wrote to tell me that they were praying for me and for my family during this period.
As I said when I spoke at my formal investiture at the White House last week, the prayers of so many people from around the country were a palpable and powerful force. As long as I serve on the Supreme Court, I will keep in mind the trust that has been placed in me.
I hope that we will have the opportunity to meet personally at some point in the future. In the meantime, my entire family and I hope that you and the Focus on the Family staff know how much we appreciate all that you have done.
Sincerely Yours,
Samuel Alito