One of my favorite things.

No, it's not this guy:



(photo courtesy of VOA News)

It is National Public Radio's live broadcast of the U.S. Supreme Court justice confirmation hearings. I would love it more if The Shrub wasn't appointing those being quizzed, but it still makes for fascinating listening. I find the two general categories of questions equally entertaining: (a) the well thought out question posed by a person who clearly understands the legal system; and (b) the bizarrely uninformed question, like that from the Senator (I never caught his name) who seems to think that every case before an appellate court has previously been the subject of a trial, when many appellate cases involve the dismissal of claims without any trial. The "softball" statements prepared by Karl Rove and/or those like him are fun, too: these statements posing as questions simplify Alito's position on matters to a stultifyingly basic soundbite that bears no relationship whatsoever to his actual record.

Anyway, if you are interested in learning more about this Alito character, the Washington Post has put together a comprehensive and helpful set of pages about him. This page from the set, with a graphic showing the kinds of people/entities Alito tends to side with and against, and which compares his tendencies to those of other judges, is especially interesting.

Also, here is the ACLU's excellent statement in opposition to Alito's confirmation. Here is the ACLU's in-depth report concerning Judge Alito's opinions affecting civil rights and civil liberties. And, finally, here is the ACLU's letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the Alito nomination.

Please contact your senator to let him/her know how you feel about the Alito nomination. I've made it really easy for you!