From MSNBC.com:
WASHINGTON – President Bush is nominating Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, The Associated Press has learned, choosing a long-time federal judge embraced by judicial conservatives to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Bush plans to announce the nomination at 8 a.m. EST, officials said.
The story continues with an observation that this choice may mend fences within the Republican Party after the nomination of Harriet Miers, who apparently was chosen because she is outside what Bush terms the “judicial monastery.”
While I may agree with the President that the legal structure in the US has become too abstract and removed from the reality of life, the choice of Miers was a poor one because she was unqualified not because of her lack of judicial experience, but because of her intellect, which does not appear to be of the same level as we now expect for someone to sit on the Supreme Court, as was clearly illustrated by her writings which were distributed in the wake of her nomination.
Judge Alito appears to be much more qualified, even if he is a part of the “judicial monastery.” Unfortunately, he is nicknamed “Scalito” because his judicial philosophy calls to mind Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. “Unfortunately” because I find Justice Scalia rather inconsistent in his opinions when they are boiled down to a “judicial philosophy.” It will be seen in the run up to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings whether Judge Alito is also inconsistent.
Expect more opinions on this nomination soon here at The Moderate Voice.