ALITO
WASHINGTON (AP):
SUPREME COURT nominee Samuel Alito seemed headed yesterday toward Senate confirmation, defending his judicial record to skeptical Democrats and praising the justice he would replace - Sandra Day O'Connor.
"I would try to emulate her dedication, and her integrity, and her dedication to the case-by-case process of adjudication," Alito told the Senate Judiciary Committee on his fourth day of confirmation hearings.
PREDICTIONS
President George W. Bush tapped Alito to replace O'Connor, who has provided a decisive vote on issues such as abortion, the death penalty and affirmative action. Democrats argue that Alito, in 15 years as an appellate judge, has built a conservative record that foretells a rightward direction if he is confirmed to the high court.
Republicans maintain a majority on the committee and control the Senate - 55-44 with one independent. Republican lawmakers have predicted that Alito will win the backing of the Senate later this month, and little has emerged in the hearings to undercut that assessment.
Democrats have not ruled out the possibility of a filibuster, a parliamentary delaying tactic, that could require supporters to post 60 votes in the 100-member chamber.
