February 22, 2006

Oppose Alito for the U.S. Supreme Court

Issue: As we begin the New Year, Washington is turning its attention toward Samuel Alito, the far-right judge President Bush nominated to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. The Senate hearings have started, and we’ve reached a critical time to act.

Background: The leading national advocates on civil rights, privacy, worker’s rights, women’s rights, the environment, gay and lesbian rights, and religious liberty have all opposed Alito. Here’s what a few had to say:

AFL-CIO: “We are compelled to oppose [Alito’s] nomination to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. … Judge Alito’s decisions and dissents show a disturbing tendency to take an extremely narrow and restrictive view of laws passed by Congress to protect workers’ rights, resulting in workers being deprived of wage and hour, health and safety, anti-discrimination, pension, and other important protections.”

NAACP: “We have undertaken an extensive review of Judge Alito’s civil rights record spanning his career as a lawyer and a judge.… As a result we have concluded that Judge Alito’s confirmation would cause a substantial shift in the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence on civil rights and that his confirmation would be to the detriment of the nation. Thus, we are compelled to oppose his nomination.”

The Human Rights Campaign: “As a Judge, Samuel Alito struck down a school policy that protected gay students from harassment. He is far to the right of Justice O’Connor on due process and reproductive rights. Judge Alito’s narrow view of Congress would dangerously threaten Congress’ power to enact non-discrimination legislation protecting citizens…. [He] has failed to distance himself from a group that advocated discrimination of which he was a member. In short, Judge Alito is the wrong choice for the Supreme Court.”

Alito has also shown a disturbing record of being willing to say anything to get a job — citing his extreme views in some cases, and hiding them in others:

Constitutional views: When applying for a job in the Reagan administration, Alito wrote of his strong belief that the Constitution does not legally protect a woman’s right to choose. Later, he claimed that he only said it to get a job. If he would lie about something so important for that job, what would he say to get on the Supreme Court?

Judicial ethics: During the nomination process for his current post as a federal judge, Alito promised the Senate, in writing, that he would not rule on cases that he had a personal financial stake in. He broke that promise, repeatedly.

Action: Contact your U.S. Senators, telling them why opposing this nomination is important to you. All Americans can agree that we must be able to trust the Supreme Court to protect our core rights and freedoms and act with integrity. Alito’s extreme views and record of deception make him the wrong choice for our country.

Sen. Maria Cantwell
(202) 224-3441
cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html

Sen. Patty Murray
(202) 224-2621
murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

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