Andrew Siegel, a former clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens, believes that, while it seems to be mollifying liberals, Samuel Alito’s charm and civility actually make him more dangerous to their positions. Alito’s frightening niceness (TNR) The nomination this week of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor set off a [...]

David Broder makes a rather odd argument that I have seen echoed elsewhere since Harriet Miers withdrew from consideration for the Supreme Court. President Pushover (WaPo, A26) [Judge Samuel Alito'S] record entitles him to the serious consideration and questioning he will undoubtedly receive from the Judiciary Committee. But after Bush acquiesced in the conservative movement’s [...]

Yesterday’s shutdown of the Senate by the Democrats would seem to signal that they are ready to use all the tricks at their disposal to prevent the Republicans from exercising the power that comes with majority status. This, obviously, leads to speculation about a filibuster of Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Filibuster Option [...]

Julian Sanchez, who is reserving his judgement on supporting Samuel Alito, is at least pleased that he has a paper trail. Paper trails work both ways. Yes, they can be used to torpedo a nominee. But, as Sanchez demonstrates, they can also be used to defend against charges of extremism.

David Corn has a refreshingly honest piece arguing that, if Democrats wish to defeat Samuel Alito, they have to move beyond tired rhetoric and be candid about why they oppose him: Can Dems Say ‘Finito’ to ‘Scalito’? (The Nation) There is no question that Alito is qualified, in that he has been an assistant solicitor [...]

A lengthy profile of Judge Samuel Alito in today’s NYT paints him as an uncommonly decent, modest man who, while very conservative is not an activist. After a Career of Quiet Focus, Alito Is Leaving the Background One weekend in 1986, two young lawyers working for Samuel A. Alito Jr., then a deputy assistant attorney [...]

David Bernstein that a Catholic majority on the Supreme Court is near reality: There will be, if Alito is confirmed. This is an extraordinary development. It was, let’s recall, only forty-five years ago that JFK’s Catholicism was a major issue in a presidential campaign. [...] We can rejoice that Catholics are now such an accepted [...]

If the RNC’s quote list is any indication, the nomination of Samuel Alito is going over pretty well with conservatives–and at least a few non-Republican media pundits. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: “[Samuel Alito] Has Got The Background Qualifications And Temperament Of John Roberts.” (ABC’s “Good Morning America,” 10/31/05) * Stephanopoulos: “[Samuel Alito] Won’t Provide A Big [...]

CNN Breaking News: President Bush today will nominate 3rd Circuit Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court, sources tell CNN. Alito is a former U.S. Attorney who has been a judge for 15 years. Bush is expected to announce the nomination at 8 a.m. Officials: [...]

Erick-Woods Ericson reports: Multiple sources are telling RedState that Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals will be named by the President at the next associate justice of the United States Supreme Court as early as Monday. “The situation is still in flux,” says one source, “but not very much.” Says [...]

President Bush’s second Supreme Court pick is likely to come later this week. While some of the candidates mentioned are the same as the last go-round, there are some surprising new names on the list. High Court Selection Process Winds Down (AP) President Bush, close to nominating a successor to retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, [...]

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