Thursday, November 03, 2005

More good news on Judge Alito

Judge Alito has a good philosophy but according to the folks who know him he is reasonable about how that is applied.

"There's no question he's going to move the Supreme Court to the right because he is conservative," said former Judge Timothy Lewis, an appointee of the first President Bush who typically voted with liberal members when he served on the 3rd Circuit from 1992 to 1999.

"But in tens of thousands of cases that came before us, he faithfully showed a deference and deep respect for precedent," Lewis said. "From private caucus meetings and on the bench, I know he is an intellectually honest man and doesn't have personal predilections to foist upon the American people."


When there are mountains and mountains of case law you can't demolish the whole mountain all at once.

This is a sane application of judicial philosophy and the kind of temperment we need on the court.

Senior Judge Edward Becker, who has served with Alito for 15 years, called the moniker misleading. Becker described Alito as much more reserved than the caustic and sometimes divisive Scalia, who often seeks to dominate questioning from the bench.

"I found him to be very open-minded," Becker said. "He's very principled, very analytical, never decides more than he has to in a case. He does believe in judicial restraint in the way he writes opinions, with no ideological overtones."


I think this is a back handed slam on Scalia but the main text is good here.

but the article closes with the best endorsement of all

"The entire court is thrilled with the appointment," said Chief Judge Anthony Scirica, a Reagan appointee. "Whatever quality you think a judge ought to have, whether it's scholarship or an ability to deliberate or fairness or temperance, Sam has each of these to a highest degree."


you see -THIS- is how you sell a court nominee

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