[John Tyler Connoley,
Sunday January 15, 2006 at 10:47pm]
Careful and Thoughtful
It's hard for me to get worked up over the Alito confirmation hearings. The way I figure it, one of my senators is going to vote for him and the other will vote against. In the end, because the Republicans hold the majority, Alito will be confirmed, and nothing I say or do will make his confirmation any more or less likely.
That said, I did listen to as much of the hearings as I could (or as much as I could stand). And Alito seems to me to be about as good as we can hope for in a Supreme Court justice. He's careful and thoughtful, and appears to rule based on the facts of the case and the applicable law. He generally takes the most conservative stance in his interpretations, meaning he doesn't try to invent new ideas or follow popular legal trends. He simply interprets the law, as judges are sworn to do.
Although, many have tried to paint Alito as an activist judge, there's nothing I've heard that's convinced me he decides cases based on his personal opinions, emotions, or ideologies. He's no Scalia. And he's no Ginsberg. And that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.
That said, I did listen to as much of the hearings as I could (or as much as I could stand). And Alito seems to me to be about as good as we can hope for in a Supreme Court justice. He's careful and thoughtful, and appears to rule based on the facts of the case and the applicable law. He generally takes the most conservative stance in his interpretations, meaning he doesn't try to invent new ideas or follow popular legal trends. He simply interprets the law, as judges are sworn to do.
Although, many have tried to paint Alito as an activist judge, there's nothing I've heard that's convinced me he decides cases based on his personal opinions, emotions, or ideologies. He's no Scalia. And he's no Ginsberg. And that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.