Dispatches from the Creation Wars

Geoffrey Stone Opposes Alito Confirmation

Posted by Ed Brayton on January 23, 2006
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In an interesting turn of events, Geoffrey Stone of the University of Chicago Law School has come out against the confirmation of Samuel Alito. His argument is based solely on Alito’s views on executive power:

Whatever else Judge Alito may or may not have made clear about his views on such issues as abortion, federalism, and religious freedom, he has certainly made clear that he has no interest in restraining the acts of this commander-in-chief. That, in my judgment, poses a serious threat to the nation, and is a more than adequate reason for the Senate – Republicans and Democrats alike – to deny his confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States.

In this opinion he is joined by several prominent libertarian scholars, including Radley Balko.

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Comments

  1. #1 spyder
    January 23, 2006

    Why do i have the feeling that Alito represents how things in this country are going to have to get worse before they get better? In Umberto Eco’s latest autobiographical book he writes about how many Italians were blissfully happy with the dictatorship of Mussolini, supported as he was by both the Church and the judiciary.

  2. #2 Treban
    January 23, 2006

    My roomate and I have had a few conversations about the conservative backlash of which Alito has been a crowning symptom. I would theorize that the religious right has been the drive to push an agenda that could well put this country into the dark ages, so to speak, as far as modern history is concerned. There are a number of conservatives who truly would like to see this country go back into the world of Charles Dickens, they have used the impetuous of the religious right to forward that agenda.

    It’s funny in a dark way that one need only look at the Marianas Ilands and the garment industry to see the proof. Tom Delay made the comment that this is what the Republican party is all about. No labor regulations, rampant forced prostitution – with forced abortion all wrapped in a sugar topped resort cover to hide the steamy underside.

    Executive powers help top the cake. To make congress beholden to the presidential power of interpreting the law and make the judiciary beholden to congressional oversight. Basicly, as I undrestand it, you would have lip service paid to the idea of oversight but ultimately the president would be king. I realize that we have term limates and such but it seems to me in that scenario the president king would have authority enough to find a way to maintain power, such as an extended national emergency.

    It’s such an extreme scenario but with the media bought and paid for, no real opposition standing up and doing anything about it it’s a frighteningly real possability and that makes me sick to my stomach. Aside from the fact that this pisses on the hundreds of thousands who died for the ideal of this country, aside from the fact that we have to live in whatever comes of this, I have a son who just turned four – he has a lot of years to live in whatever becomes of our nation.

  3. #3 Roman Werpachowski
    January 24, 2006

    Why do i have the feeling that Alito represents how things in this country are going to have to get worse before they get better? In Umberto Eco’s latest autobiographical book he writes about how many Italians were blissfully happy with the dictatorship of Mussolini, supported as he was by both the Church and the judiciary.

    Is the US really going to become a dictatorship???