Alito Sworn In

Samuel Alito, "who was confirmed by the Senate on a 58-42 vote this morning, was quickly sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court today, completing a makeover that the Bush administration hopes will turn the nation's highest court in a more conservative direction," the Washington Post reports.

Quick analysis: Had everyone who opposed Alito backed a filibuster, he wouldn't be a Supreme Court Justice today.

Better analysis comes from Rick Hasen, who had earlier predicted Alito would not be confirmed, but now thinks he overestimated both the salience of the abortion issue and "strength and saavy" of the Democratic party. Hasen says Democrats lost much more than this one vote: "Though the 'Gang of 14' agreement has saved the Senate from the nuclear option, it has seriously weakened the Democrats, who apparently won't be able to block any competent Bush nominee to the Supreme Court (should another nomination open up)."

January 31, 2006 | Related News



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