David Halperin, senior vice-president at the nonpartisan Center for American Progress, explained his group's opposition to the appointment of Samuel Alito '72 to the Supreme Court in a lecture yesterday evening in McCormick Hall.
The lecture, sponsored by the College Democrats, drew about 40 students and covered a number of reasons for denying Alito's confirmation, including a history of extreme opinions and a tendency to downplay this history during the hearings this week.
"There's definitely an agenda here, [and] it's an agenda of the extreme right," Halperin said, despite Alito's denial of any set agenda during the hearings.
Halperin cited a series of judicial cases in which Alito opposed abortion, supported a powerful executive and attempted to reduce gun control.
"Alito has extreme stances on important issues like abortion and discrimination — views we oppose — and an agenda that supports the government over the public," Halperin said.
By replacing the moderate Sandra Day O'Connor, Alito would tilt the court toward the right, Halperin added.
Alito's membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) also caused wrangling during the confirmation hearings (see story, page 1).
Halperin said that Alito's efforts to downplay his involvement in the group were dishonest.
"Alito attempted to pump up his resume" by including membership in CAP in his 1985 application for a Justice Department job, Halperin said.
Alito's ties to the group raised concern because of the group's stance on minorities and women. The founder of CAP, Shelby Cullom Davis '30, suggested that the University's more inclusive admissions policy was a violation of freedom of speech equal to those committed by Hitler, Halperin said.
In combination with his Appeals Court opinions, his membership in CAP reflects an ideology outside the mainstream, Halperin said.
"As a public official, when you believe things that are extreme, the public wants you to let them know before taking a seat on the Supreme Court," he added.
Halperin said that given this history, "if Alito is confirmed, then the ideology of a justice will have far less weight than general competence."
Though Alito is a competent judge with some loyalty to precedent, Halperin said it is more important for the hearings to ensure that he is devoted to the constitution.
"For a lifetime on the Supreme Court, we are not into experimentation," he said. "We want someone who is going to guarantee our rights."
Halperin is the director of Campus Progress, the Center for American Progress' college outreach program, which advocates political awareness in colleges across 22 states, publicizes its efforts through rallies in Washington, D. C. and holds a conference every July for college students.
After the lecture, the College Democrats gathered signatures for a letter they plan to send to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa) in the hope that he will read it before the Senate. The letter expresses the group's opposition to Alito's confirmation and condemnation of CAP.
The College Democrats are also holding an event in front of Frist Campus Center today, where they will supply students with their senators' contact information and encourage them to call and report their opposition to Alito's confirmation.
Original URL: http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2006/01/13/14248/