Okay, now I remember reading in (and commenting on) another blog (perhaps you remember me mentioning it here, The Lobby?) that by confirming Alito “We might as well have put the Religious Right and the head of every corporation up on that court.”
Well, it appears that, at least in his first step, he got off on the left foot. I suppose he won’t ALWAYS be a lap dog for the conservatives. But then again, I don’t remember a justice whoever did everything that was expected of them, fufilling some sort of litmus test, except, perhaps, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. But then again, it isn’t a litmus test if it is from the left, now is it?
Later, class.
So why would this be a “leftist” position to take? For one thing, how can we make a judgement upon left/right/center without knowing his reasoning. In many cases discussed during his confirmation hearings he ruled purely upon whether or not the mechanisms of the law had been adhered to, as an appeals judge should.
But again, why is this necessarily a “leftist” position? (Especially when you remember that he is a Catholic and the RC church is anti-death penalty.)