U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito (second right) arrives at his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) (left), Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) (second left) and Ranking Democratic Member Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) (right) in Washington yesterday. The hearings promise to be bruising on U.S. President George W. Bush's nomination of Alito to the Supreme Court. Barring an unforeseen bombshell, the 55-year-old conservative was expected to be confirmed by the full Republican-led Senate later this month, and possibly move the nation's highest court to the right on social issues. - REUTERS
WASHINGTON (AP):
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Chairman Arlen Specter promised a "full, fair and dignified hearing" yesterday as the Senate began weighing whether Samuel Alito should become the 110th United States Supreme Court justice.
On the opening day of confirmation hearings, Democrats promised to question President George W. Bush's choice about constitutional powers, the right of privacy, equal rights and abortion - issues that have occupied the highest U.S. court for decades and are certain to fill the docket for years.
Democrats fear that Alito, a conservative judge, could tilt the nine-member Supreme Court sharply to the right. Alito would replace retiring Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been the swing vote on abortion and other contentious issues.
Alito would likely win a majority in the Republican-controlled Senate. But Democrats haven't ruled out attempting filibuster - a politically risky delaying tactic - to derail the nomination.
Several Democrats criticised Alito's 15-year record as an appellate judge.
"Your record raises troubling questions about whether you appreciate the checks and balances in our Constitution - the careful efforts of our Founding Fathers to protect us from a government or a president determined to seize too much power over our lives," said Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat.
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Republicans defended Alito, Bush's pick to replace as a fair-minded and brilliant jurist who would be a welcome addition to the court.
Alito, said Sen. Charles Grassley, "has a reputation for being an exceptional and honest judge devoted to the rule of law, and a man of integrity."
Alito, 55, introduced members of his family - including his wife Martha, sister Rosemary and his son and daughter and then sat and listened to the opening statements from the first of the committee's 18 members. Only after their remarks would the nominee get a chance to make his opening statement.
Questioning from Republicans and Democrats was slated for the remainder of the week.
The hearings opened amid a growing debate over executive authority and Bush's secret decision to order the National Security Agency to wiretap Americans in the terror war.
"In an era when the White House is abusing power, is excusing and authorising torture, and is spying on American citizens, I find Judge Alito's support for an all-powerful executive branch to be genuinely troubling," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
Republican Sen. Mike DeWine offered a counterpoint. "Your modest approach to judging seems to bode well for our democracy," he said.
Sen. Orrin Hatch urged his colleagues to put politics aside in assessing Alito's qualifications for the court.
"We must apply a judicial, not a political, standard to this record," Hatch said.
Alito would replace O'Connor, a crucial swing vote on abortion, affirmative action and the death penalty since she joined the Supreme Court in 1981.
"Her legacy is one of fairness that I want to see preserved," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, the committee's top Democrat.
