Lawless Announces Opposition to Nomination of Samuel Alito

WARWICK, RI – Jennifer Lawless, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island’s second congressional district, today announced her opposition to President Bush’s nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Rather than reach out to all Americans and present a consensus nominee for the Supreme Court, this President has instead demonstrated that he is a captive of the extreme right-wing. In doing so, he has selected a nominee who will surely cause a bitter fight and divide our country,” Lawless said. “Judge Alito’s record indicates that, time and again, his views go far beyond those of mainstream Americans. I hope the United States Senate accepts its responsibility to protect Americans’ rights and freedoms by rejecting this nominee.”

In his time on the bench, Judge Alito has compiled an extremely conservative record on many issues that speak to the protection of Americans’ rights and freedoms. Mr. Alito showed a disregard for women’s right to privacy in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. In that case, Alito acted as the lone judge on the Third Circuit to vote to uphold a provision in the Pennsylvania law that required a woman to notify her husband before obtaining an abortion. In Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, Judge Alito led the charge against federal laws protecting individuals and workers; he held that Congress does not have the power to require state employers to comply with the Family Medical Leave Act. The Supreme Court ultimately reversed Alito’s decision. And in Rompilla v. Horn, Judge Alito failed to consider racial discrimination when deciding a case about capital punishment. Mr. Rompilla was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to the death penalty by an all white jury from which black jurors had been impermissibly struck due to their race. Once again, Judge Alito’s decision was overturned by the Supreme Court.

If confirmed, Alito will replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. White House officials had previously claimed that the President was mindful of the need for more diversity on the court. Justice O’Connor’s retirement leaves Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the only woman on the Supreme Court. “In nominating Samuel Alito, President Bush missed the opportunity to expand the diversity of the court and make it more reflective of the country,” Lawless said. “I’m troubled that President Bush is reinforcing the image that the Supreme Court is just a boys’ club, one that is dominated by white men and one that appears closed to the rest of us.”

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