President George W. Bush announced his nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, Jr., for Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Monday.
Alito is Bush's second choice for the replacement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who made her plans to retire public July 1. Former nominee Harriet Miers withdrew from the candidacy last week.
"We're certainly very happy with President Bush's choice [Monday] in his selection of [Alito] to Supreme Court," Republican Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Christine Mangi said. "He is judicially conservative and he has more experience than any nominee in 70 years."
The Miers withdrawal came after criticism and speculation, as both Republicans and Democrats questioned her lack of experience as a judge and the meager amount of information regarding her opinions.
Mangi said she thinks Alito will be better received by both parties, citing his history on the judicial bench, and noting Alito is more akin to Chief Justice John Roberts, who was recently confirmed for the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist's seat.
"No one can call his credentials into question, and he personifies the qualities that the president said he would seek in a Supreme Court justice," Mangi said. "One of the most important qualities is that he will rule based on the application of existing law and specific facts [and] not legislate from the bench."
In his nomination speech, Bush called Alito "a man of enormous character" and "one of the most accomplished and respected judges in America."
Alito holds a degree from Yale Law School and served as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit for 15 years, after being nominated for the position by former President George H. W. Bush in 1990.
Though Republicans are lauding Alito's nomination, Democrats and pro-choice advocates alike are questioning the current President Bush's choice.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Joe Wineke said with the Alito nomination, Bush caved to pressures from the far right of his party, adding Bush instead should have nominated a judicial candidate who "all Americans can trust to protect their individual rights and freedoms."
"President Bush has put his personal political interests ahead of the American people by nominating a judge who appears hostile to women's rights, would weaken anti-discrimination protections for the disabled, is hostile to immigrants, and would undermine employment discrimination protections," Wineke said in an e-mail.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Vice President of Public Affairs Lisa Boyce said a woman's right to choose is at stake in this nomination, adding a Senate confirmation of Alito would "radically transform" the high court and "create a direct threat to the health and safety of American women."
"Planned Parenthood will be actively opposing the confirmation of Judge Alito," Boyce said.
Boyce added she hopes U.S. Sens. Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, both D-Wis., and both on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will determine whether the full Senate will vote to confirm or deny Alito's nomination, will strongly consider Alito's history when making decisions.
Feingold and Kohl each released statements saying they will take the confirmation very seriously and closely examine Alito's career history and opinions in the process.
"The nomination of Judge Alito to replace Justice O'Connor will be crucial to determining the balance of the Supreme Court for decades to come," Kohl said.
