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Monday, October 31, 2005

Bush Pulls Out the Big Scare for Halloween

President Bush's newest Supreme Court pick, Samuel Alito, is already garnering harsh criticism from Senate Democrats. Although there is no doubt that Alito's record as a judge certainly means he has better credentials than former nominee Harriet Miers, the nomination is terrifying for Democrats. Take the following for example:

In a 1991 case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito, in a dissenting opinion, wrote that women who wish to have an abortion must notify their spouse. Hypothetically speaking, what if a woman is in an abusive relationship? Should she have to inform her husband of her desire for an abortion, and therby possibly put herself at risk for further abuse?

Alito also voted against upholding The Brady Bill, which would ban fully automatic machine guns. What good are these assault weapons? America is already overrun by immense amounts of guns, must we keep the fully automatic machine guns as well?

What may be even more frightening is the fact that Alito has often been compared to conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. He has even been given the nickname "Scalito" (also see Zach Corey's post and links about this comparison).

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid released a statement this morning that suggested Alito may be "too radical for the American people." While Alito may uphold the views of a few on the far right, his job, if nominated to the Supreme Court is to uphold the Constitution, not a few moral values. I think that so many people have forgotten the true role of the court.

The court is not here to uphold the values of a few, they are in place to interpret the law. Maybe we need a nationwide lesson on the role of the government.