Alito Hearings to Begin Today
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 1/9/2006
Civil rights groups are urging senators to closely question Samuel Alito about his civil rights record during hearings on his Supreme Court nomination, scheduled to begin Monday.
Court watchers say because Alito has been named to replace swing vote Sandra Day O'Connor, the stakes are particularly high.
Alito is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His nomination has been opposed by a number of groups concerned about his record on civil rights and women's rights.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) released January 5 a memorandum on Judge Samuel Alito's civil rights record, covering the beginning of his career through his decision making as a jurist on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
LCCR Executive Director Wade Henderson said that on issues ranging from voting rights issues to the rights of criminal defendants, Alito has been on the "wrong side." "Equal rights for all Americans is a fundamental principle of our democracy, yet Alito is on record favoring curtailment of those rights," said Henderson.
"Judge Alito's disturbing record on civil rights should be of concern to every member of the Senate Judiciary Committee," Henderson said.
According to the LCCR memo, this record demonstrates that Judge Alito has routinely favored a reading of statutory and constitutional law that curtails the rights of individuals, limits remedies available to them, and undermines the power of Congress to protect those individuals. The memo addresses Alito's record in such areas as voting rights, employment discrimination, criminal justice, and "states' rights."
People For the American Way, the Alliance for Justice, and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law also released reports critical of Alito's record. Nearly 500 law professors have signed a letter urging the Senate to reject Alito's nomination.
The hearings will start with opening statements from the 10 Republican and eight Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nation will then hear from Alito, who, after being introduced by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D. N.J., and Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and former EPA Administrator, will give a brief opening statement.
Questioning of Alito is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
