Bush names a republican favorite

President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court Monday, replacing… President George W. Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court Monday, replacing his previous nomination, Harriet Miers, who withdrew her nomination Thursday.

Richard Delgado, a distinguished professor of law at Pitt, said that Alito is in for a “lively battle” in his Senate confirmation hearings, but will probably be confirmed by a close margin.

“Republicans love him, and cultural conservatives even do,” Delgado said. “He is clean-cut and respectable. Democrats will give him a very hard time because of his views on such things as search and seizure and women’s rights.”

Republicans control 55 of the 100 seats in the Senate.

Arthur Hellman, a professor of law at Pitt, agreed that Alito would eventually be confirmed.

Hellman said that Alito will probably be asked his opinion on abortion, religion in schools and other issues involving the First Amendment.

According to the Associated Press, Alito supported spousal notification in a 1992 abortion rights case.

Pitt students may remember Alito’s name from a 2004 case involving The Pitt News. Alito wrote the decision of a three-judge panel that ruled in favor of the student newspaper in its five-year battle to overturn a state law that prevented university-affiliated publications from publishing paid alcoholic beverage advertisements.

Alito wrote that the law infringed on the First Amendment rights of advertisers in The Pitt News. Alito added that the state had not adequately explored other avenues of alcohol abuse prevention.

If confirmed, Alito would take the seat of swing-vote Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Alito has served as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for 15 years.