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The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it will oppose the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the United States Supreme Court.
“Judge Samuel Alito has advocated an expansive view of executive authority which raises serious concerns about his commitment to the Constitution and our fundamental civil liberties,” said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis . “Americans should be extremely concerned about this nominee.”
The nomination of Judge Alito comes when the White House is embroiled in controversy surrounding revelations that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on American citizens. This and other issues of executive abuse of authority will likely come before the Supreme Court.
"At a time when our president has claimed unprecedented authority to spy on Americans and jail terrorism suspects indefinitely, America needs a Supreme Court justice who will uphold our precious civil liberties," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "Unfortunately, Judge Alito's record shows a willingness to support government actions that abridge individual freedoms."
While sitting on the federal appeals court Judge Alito has constantly taken troubling positions on issues involving race, religion, and reproductive rights. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who Judge Alito would replace, is considered a critical swing vote on these very issues.
This past weekend the 83-member national board of the ACLU voted to oppose the nomination, which has voted to oppose only two nominees in its 86-year history: Justice William Rehnquist (in his initial nomination to the court) and former Solicitor General and law professor Robert Bork.
"Judge Alito has all too often taken a hostile position toward our fundamental civil liberties and civil rights," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "The Supreme Court is the final guardian of our liberties, and Judge Alito has shown that he lacks the dedication to that commitment. Recent revelations about White House-sanctioned domestic spying, in defiance of the law, make it clear that the Senate cannot, and must not, approve this nominee."
Additional information: The ACLU report on Judge Alito can be found at: http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20060110-asset_upload_file130_23216.pdf. The ACLU's letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee is at http://www.aclu.org/scotus/2005/23217leg20051222.html
Contact: Kent Willis, Executive Director, ACLU of Virginia, Office: 804/644-8022