ALITO HEARINGS TO START JANUARY 9

NRO ^ | 11/3/05 | Kathryn Jean Lopez

[smokeman]

ALITO HEARINGS begin January 9 at noon, according to Specter. Floor vote on 20th, the chairman hopes.

[BibChr]

Sorry, but I have zero sympathy. They live the lives of pampered Dukes. If they were businesslike about it, they could be done before Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas.

And I don't grant that they have to comb over every case. Wasn't that long ago that SC nominees didn't even deign to come ot hearings. There is no Constitutional requirement that this carnival be held.

And yes, there are important issues before the Court that frankly I don't want O'Connor voting on. Either a parental notification or an "assisted suicide" case, as I recall -- or both.

Dan

[Max7]

I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed. In truth, I never thought the Republicans would manage to make the hearings happen before the end of the year. They are experts at screwing things up for the Republicans, even if it's only for a while. I wish WE could screw things up for them as much as they do to us. Oh well. The truth will out. They need TIME to find a way to destroy Alito, or at least, wear him out.

[flaglady47]

Alito is nominated Oct. 31 and he won't get a hearing until Jan. 7---68 days. Would that be because he needs so much more preparation than Roberts, and twice as much as Miers did?

No, it's because Thanskgiving and Christmas vacations periods are within that 68 day period and Wash DC will be empty of politicians, which is a good thing.

[NeoCaveman]

How bad are they going to feel if something happens to O'Conner's husband in the mean time?

Feelings? These crooks? LOL.

[smokeman]

When Alito assumes his seat on the Supreme Court in January (assuming he is approved, which he will be), on cases that came before the court prior to his arrival (from the beginning of the term until mid-January), will O'Connor be able to vote on them, or is it voted on w/out her having a vote, but neither will Alito have a vote, or will Alito have a vote? I would assume that once O'Connor is gone, she no longer has a vote, and any case during the interim period would be voted on by 8 justices, rather than 9. What's the straight poop on this? Anyone know?

For example, I think the PBA case comes up at the end of this month. I believe that if Alito is confirmed before the decision is handed down and it's a 4/4 tie, excluding O'Connor's vote due to her leaving the court, then the SC can rehear the case with the newly confirmed justice. However, I believe that the rehearing is optional. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

[NeoCaveman]

And yes, there are important issues before the Court that frankly I don't want O'Connor voting on. Either a parental notification or an "assisted suicide" case, as I recall -- or both.

Both. But both decisions aren't expected before June

[small voice in the wilderness]

Time to withhold my RNC money. AGAIN. Why, FTLOG, can't we walk more than 3 steps without falling backwards?

[Mo1]

Vacations (Thanksgiving and Christmas) can't wait. Alito confirmation hearings will have to.

So basically .. it's a-okay for Congress to take vacations .. but not the President

[conservativebabe]

[Mo1]

Shoot...all of the Senators that I have heard on the Senate floor today are angry that they might have to work tomorrow!!!

They are all patty themselves on the back right now over the Budget Bill

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

And, a SCOTUS review of it's own campaign finance ruling will be heard.........."

That's right kids, Jan 14th 2006.

Now you know why the Rats want to delay this until next year. O'Connor will be gone when the decision is handed down but Alit will not be there for the arguments so he won't vote.

Keeps CFR where it is now, which is BS.

[conservativebabe]

Time to flood our good Senators with e-mails if you ask me. Tell them to get off their sorry @sses and do the job they were sent there to do.

We NEED this appt. to happen ASAP, not next year.

[samkatz]

you know what? Our president has been taking all the friggn heat from his own base about Miers, immigration, CIA, etc etc

What about the spineless bunch of whimps that call themselves Republicans in the Senate? The Dems are fighting tooth and nail, our side is like 55 Dukakis's...

Look at Trent Lott......trashing Rove, W, etc every chance he gets.. Sure, he's still p'o'd about being pushed out over the strom thurmand speech

But ok, now that Bush's "base", eg, us, have supposedly "returned to the fold"(some of us never left), where is his own party in Congress????

[conservativebabe]

There is one word for this-UNACCEPTABLE! They need to hear it from us.

[Mo1]

Cut their pay in half and send them home.

Can't ... they get to vote for their own pay raises

Ya know ... something is very wrong with that picture

[jdhljc169]

Feelings? These crooks? LOL.

***

True, true! I lost my head there for a moment. LOL

[born in the Bronx]

O'Connor doesn't >have< to stay. She was the one who decided that she would stay until she was replaced--there's ample precedent for an 8judge cout between appointments. She can leave if her husband gets worse--in fact, she's free to change her mind and leave now. In practice, it wouldn't make much difference if she did because SCOTUS itself will take a long recess for Thanksgiving/Christmas.

[shield]

This recess could be a perfect time to APPOINT ALITO...stick to the rats...then they can have they're hearings and confirmation...this happened with Marshall...why the ... not...

[jdhljc169]

Someone posted this in the comments section at confirmthem.com.

Here is the Democrats’ strategy: (It might work.)

Delaying the hearings until January 9th means that the Left will be able to raise 20 to 40 million dollars on campaign ads smearing Alito’s name.

The Democrats are united in withholding a decision on Alito (including a decision on whether to participate in a filibuster against the nomination) until the hearings start.

By January 9th, polling will show that a majority of people (after watching all of the attack ads) are opposed to the confirmation of Alito and a majority of people polled support a filibuster.

The Democrat leadership will turn the screws against their moderate members to support the filibuster. They will succeed. Less than 60 US Senators will vote for cloture.

The constitutional option will have to be used.

http://www.confirmthem.com/?p=1868#comment-73193

[Txsleuth]

If they had REALLY tried, they could have doubled the amount the cut...

BTW...Chrissy Matthews said a little while ago that Bush is going to have a hard time over the next 3 years because of the LIBBY TRIAL....LOL