Posted on 11/15/2005 11:22:03 AM PST by indianrightwinger
Feinstein: Alito backs away from memo 1985 letter denying abortion rights raises concerns
Tuesday, November 15, 2005; Posted: 2:14 p.m. EST (19:14 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito had distanced himself from a memo he wrote 20 years ago that said "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the only female member of the committee that will vote on the nomination, said she asked the appeals court judge about the memo.
"What [Alito] said was, 'It was different then. I was an advocate seeking a job. It was a political job,'" the California Democrat said.
She said Alito said 1985 was a "very different" time, when he was an advocate for the Reagan administration. As a judge for 15 years, he looks at legal matters differently.
"I don't give heed to my personal views. What I do is I interpret the law,'" she said, quoting the 55-year-old judge from New Jersey.
Feinstein said she believed Alito was sincere.
She said they discussed Row v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion, and that Alito said he had been through "many reviews" of the case but did not say he accepted it as legal precedent.
In 1985, Alito was working in the solicitor general's office, where he helped prepare cases to be argued in court on behalf of the government. His memo was part of an application to become deputy assistant attorney general.
In the memo, he writes, "I am and always have been a conservative and an adherent to the same philosophical views that I believe are central to this administration." (Read an excerpt from the document)
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Alito is neato.
Repeat after me:
Justice Samuel Alito.
Alito: Whatever you say Senator. (finger cross, wink to side)
Here we go...
Feinstein is a moron even if this memo flies out of a monkey's butt
Help Wanted: Editor. Knowledge of current events preferable. Ability to look up past events desirable. Spelling optional. Apply at CNN.
Ah, as compared to your nomination to the Supreme Court, which is, let's see:
(1) a job, and
(2) a political job.
Thank you Mr. Alito for clarifying that point
It's a nice fundraising point for both sides of the abortion issue. Pro-choice partisans will be exhorted to give money to defeat this threat to their rights, and pro-lifers will be cajoled to give money to help this wonderful nominee fend off the scurrilous attacks.
If abortion went away tommorrow as an issue, there'd be a whole bunch of people who'd have to get real jobs.
If the Constitution protects a right to an abortion then it doesn't protect a right to life. The Constitution does protect a human being's right to live doesn't it, Diane?
Dr. Feinenstein: Well, uh... well..
Somewhere along the line his spine fell out of his @$$. Since the Constitution is silent on abortion, the 'precedent' of abortion is simply the personal views of liberal SCOTUS justices. Alito is hinting that this disgusting 'precedent' will trump his own personal views, allowing for the personal views of liberals to reign.
I want to know why having a pro-life view automatically excludes anyone from serving on the Supreme Court?
More CNN 'Excellence in Journalism'!
Her original family name was F*Einstein and she lives up to it.
Actually I think the opposite.
Justice Alito will be similar to Justice Thomas. Mark my words.
#####I want to know why having a pro-life view automatically excludes anyone from serving on the Supreme Court?#####
Because Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton, and the other men behind our system of government were devoted activists for abortion rights. They wanted to guarantee that the federal courts would mow down any restriction on abortion, would void parental notification laws, and would mandate taxpayer financed abortions. Thomas Jefferson rode the "pro-choice" issue into the White House, using it as a winning issue to secure the support of "moderate" voters.
One of the reasons for the Civil War was Lincoln's determination to force Mississippi to provide 12 year olds with abortion access.
And don't forget Franklin Roosevelt's warning that we have nothing to fear other than pro-life legislation.
It's a shame that right-wing judicial activists such as Scalia have forgotten our rich constitutional heritage on the abortion issue
#####Robert Byrd was a recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan when he was a young man.
Ronald Reagan was a Democrat in his younger days.#####
Yeah, but Feinstein's always been stupid.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.