The dubious confirmation hearings and impending Senate approval of Samuel Alito Jr. as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court are affronts to those who ascribe to the values and revere the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court provides another rock-solid anchor for the George Bush Republican Party that already has a stranglehold on the national government.
Alito’s record as a member of the Reagan administration and as a judge on the Court of Appeals leaves little doubt that he will align himself with the other extreme right wingers on the court to help roll back the hard-fought gains of the King era, gains that extended beyond African Americans to Latinos, white women, gays and lesbians as well as the physically challenged. The blessings of freedom have brought benefits to the entire society, extending far beyond black victims of bias.
Predictably, Chief Justice John Roberts has joined the court’s arch-conservative judges, Antonio Scalia and Clarence Thomas, with their dissent against the court’s 6-3 majority that struck down the Justice Department’s policy against Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide law. Now Justice-In-Waiting Alito, with his impaired memory about his association with a racist and sexist group during his tenure at Princeton University, will join the dominant power brokers in Washington who dictate policies that divide by subtly fostering bigotry and idealizing a segregated past.
There is no doubt that Alito qualifies as a perfect colleague for the president’s favorite Supreme Court justices. His extensive judicial record is consistent and confirms his bias against minority rights. In all of the split decisions rendered by his court in cases alleging race and gender discrimination, Alito voted against the plaintiffs. Our judgment about Alito’s dismal and alarming record is shared by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, The Hispanic Caucus Civil Rights Task Force and the National Bar Association. All are opposed to Alito’s confirmation.
Based on his record Alito is a threat to the future of civil rights in the country. After his certain confirmation to the Supreme Court, Alito will vote on already pending cases alleging minority vote dilution. Despite his benign manner, Alito’s indisputable record on and off the bench shows a constant pattern of bigotry that is almost certain to continue after he joins the Supreme Court.