Alito Hearings Focus on Roe v. Wade
Midway through Senate confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has deftly parried questions on hot-button issues ranging from abortion to the limits of presidential power. The most divisive issue - on both sides of the aisle - is the constitutional status of abortion rights. Most Democrats and moderate Republicans, including Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter, support the principles of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. While agreeing that the Constitution protects a right to privacy - a point made by every nominee since Judge Bork - Alito did not agree that it was such settled law that its principles should not be reexamined.
Alito pressed on precedent, privacy, Christian Science Monitor, January 12, 2006.
