Supreme Court Nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, Jr.

SUPREME COURT NOMINATION OF JUDGE SAMUEL ALITO, JR.

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, this morning the President of the United States nominated Judge Samuel Alito of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. We are beginning to learn that Judge Alito has an extremely impressive career. He is an alumnus of Princeton, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from Yale Law School where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal, and he clerked for Judge Leonard Garth on the same court where Judge Alito now sits.

Judge Alito has devoted his professional life to serving our country. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the appellate division and as a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He served as an assistant to the Solicitor General where he argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court. For the last 15 years he served as a Federal appellate judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

As the President noted this morning, Judge Alito has in fact more judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in the last 70 years. Over the course of his outstanding career, Judge Alito has consistently been praised for his legal acumen. In fact, one attorney who appeared before him said that ``to describe Judge Alito as outstanding is to use understatement. He's the best judge on the circuit, maybe the country.''

Judge Alito has also been praised for his calm, courteous, and thoughtful demeanor. I had a chance to experience that this morning myself when I met with him.

Lawyers who have appeared before him describe him as measured and judicious. They have said he ``has a fine, nice demeanor ..... He couldn't have a keener demeanor'' was one observation. Another said, ``He is never discourteous or abusive.'' Another said, ``He is forthright and fair.'' Another said he ``reaches honest decisions.''

With his outstanding abilities, it is no wonder the American Bar Association gave Judge Alito its highest rating of unanimously well qualified, which means everybody on the committee found him well qualified. That is the highest ranking the ABA can give.

In supporting his confirmation to the Third Circuit, our former colleague Senator Bill Bradley said of Judge Alito that as U.S. Attorney ``he had a reputation of being tough but fair. Without a lot of fanfare, without calling daily press conferences, he has inspired his office with a low key sense of professionalism.''

Given his impressive abilities and his calm, thoughtful demeanor, it is also not surprising that the Senate has twice confirmed Judge Alito unanimously to important legal positions.

As the confirmation process goes forward, we will learn a lot more about Judge Alito, but it appears the President has made a truly outstanding choice. I am confident the Senate will proceed on a bipartisan basis and in a thoughtful, measured way. We had a fair and dignified process for Chief Justice Roberts, and I am confident we will similarly have a respectful process for Judge Alito.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

http://thomas.loc.gov/