:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Sunday, November 06, 2005 ::

The best post i've seen so far in regards to the Supreme Court and Judge Alito.

It hits on what makes a good justice:

In my judgment, the primary responsibility of the Supreme Court is to protect the relatively powerless in our society against the inherent dangers of the democratic process and to protect the process itself against the most powerful elements in our society when they attempt to manipulate the system for their own partisan or personal advantage.

And whether or not a senator should vote for or against Alito:

In most circumstances, if the president nominates a qualified individual with “mainstream” views, it is reasonable for senators to give the president the benefit of the doubt to enable the process to run smoothly. But if a senator strongly disagrees with the perspective and philosophy of the nominee, the president has had multiple nominees and has consistently nominated justices with a distinctive point of view, and the senator is genuinely concerned about how a succession of such nominees will affect the Court as an institution, then it is perfectly appropriate and consistent with historical practice for the senator to oppose confirmation.

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2005 12:30:00 AM [+] ::
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