It took me forever… But here is the stupid paper I have been writing for weeks and I am turning in weeks late… If you find any mistakes don’t tell me.
Now I gotta start on my astronomy paper…
Greta Wilkins
Reporting 313/314
G Fred Wickman
With the future of the Supreme Court unknown, the future of our rights is being speculated on. As a result many groups have recently spoke out about Judge Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court nomination.
In a 1985 application for Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Alito wrote, “I am particularly proud of my contributions in recent cases in which the government has argued in the Supreme Court that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion.”
Many groups are very angry about such views.
“Samuel Alito’s stated opposition to a woman’s constitutional right to choose as guaranteed by Roe v. Wade is further evidence that anti-choice groups got exactly what they ordered from President Bush.” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL pro-choice America. “This new information about Alito’s legal philosophy further puts him out of the mainstream,” she said in a press release at ProChoiceAmerica.org.
Surprisingly, his comments about affirmative action have been mostly ignored and often left out of the statement when re-quoted. A few groups have recently been taking notice.
“From the minute President Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, it was clear that he was a favorite of the radical right,” said the People for the American Way, “His record of right-wing judicial activism and hostility to fundamental rights and liberties were already well documented.”
Alito supporters have recently sought to discredit allegations from interest groups.
“Attacks on Judge Alito by People for the American Way sink to a new low in what should be a dignified debate,” said Brian McCabe, president of Progress For America. “Their assaults are predictable, malicious and unfounded.”
There has recently been much discussion about Alito among the Senate.
“We don’t have to guess whether Judge Alito’s description of himself in that memo would predict what kind of judge he would be,” said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, “For the past 15 years, Judge Alito has been one of the most conservative federal judges in the country.”
Alito took time to meet with Senate members to discuss his remarks in the 1985 application.
“Senators who met privately with Alito yesterday said he played down the remarks’ significance,” according to the Washington Post, “They said that he noted they are two decades old and that he stated a judge must rule according to the law, not personal sentiments.”
Senators indicated that his comments were positive for the most part.
“He indicated that that was 20 years ago and it was a job application, and since being on the [appeals] court he has participated in several decisions related to having an abortion,” Sen. Jeff Bingaman said. “He thinks that those decisions are what he should be judged on.”
However, many people are still suspecting of Alito.
“He can’t say he was just representing the views of a client or the government,” said Nan Aron of the liberal Alliance for Justice. “These are his views, and therefore they are the best window into how he would rule if confirmed.”
Fox News has refused to air anti-Alito commercials because of the terms “ruled” and “voted” used in the context of certain statements.
“Alito has ‘ruled to make it easier for corporations to discriminate . . . even voted to approve strip search of a 10-year-old girl,’” said the anti-Alito ad, according to an article at Fox News.
IndependentCourt.org, the organization of groups sponsoring the commercials, have a simple defense.
“Using “voted” and “ruled” or “ruling” to apply to judges’ actions – both in the majority and in dissent – are commonplace in the media and across the political spectrum,” said an article at SavetheCourt.org. “Americans deserve to learn the truth about the record and judicial philosophy of a nominee to our nation’s highest court, and we will work tirelessly to get the word out.”
To combat these commercials airing nationally as well as on network stations in Maine and Rhode Island, Alito has created his own commercial, called “Confirm.”
“Our new ad highlights support from those who know Judge Alito well - his own clerks,” said McCabe, “Coming from diverse backgrounds and ideologies, Alito’s clerks know him to have a solid judicial temperament.”
It is strange that a Supreme Court Nominee would make commercials to rally support from his cause. The ad, “Confirm” was created to combat the ad by IndependentCourt.org, however IndependentCourt.org was only trying to combat Alito’s first commercial, “Alito.”
“The [ad titled 'Alito'], which will run for seven days in three media markets in each state, is part of the burgeoning conservative effort to thwart any chance Democrats would be able to block Alito’s confirmation through a filibuster,” said a Nov. 3rd article at JudgeAlito.com.
The Nov. 3rd article called “Ads Hit Home for Moderates” stated that the ad was created by the PFA in order to possibly sway undecided democrat Senators in conservative leaning states.
Harriet Miers, despite opposing advertisements by Americans for Better Justice, did not make any commercials before or after criticism.
John G. Roberts also had an opposition ad made for him by the NARAL Pro-Choice America. Roberts however, never made an ad for his support.
It is possible that Samuel Alito is the first Supreme Court nominee to release a television advertisement to rally his support.
All the worry about Supreme Court nominations is a result of fear for the safety of laws protecting abortion and equal rights.Many also worry about the future of rights for gay marriage, prayer in schools, and the teaching of evolution. Debates such as these are fairly heightened due to religious and ethical belief.
Sadly, it is likely that no one will be satisfied.
“Conservatism is a major political philosophy supporting traditional values or an established social order,” according to Wikipedia, “As the word implies, conservatives seek to conserve the existing social order or to reinstate a social order from the past.”
However, some conservatives would agree with reversing the decision of Roe v. Wade, which was decided January 22, 1973. Conservatives generally are also opposed to gay marriage, and in some cases affirmative action. They may support prayer in schools, teaching of creationism, and lower taxes for the rich.
Liberals are often thought of as the polar opposite of conservatives.
“The fundamental principles of liberalism include human rights, especially the right to life, liberty, and property; equal rights for all citizens under the law; government with the consent of the governed as determined by open and fair elections; and transparency in government,” said Wikipedia.
Though liberalism celebrates “the right to life,” it is often supporting abortion, and euthanasia.Liberals however often support gay marriage or civil union, affirmative action, and other equal rights laws. Liberals are often in favor of the traditional separation of church and state, and do not support forced religious involvement.
Such moral issues often have both sides feeling so strongly that no compromise can be met.
