JJB Blog

Samuel Alito has been nominated by President Bush to be on the Supreme Court of the United States. This is a Big Deal, because Supreme Court appointments are for the life of the justice (or until they retire).

Samuel Alito has an elaborate record of being far out of the mainstream, even (and especially) on the issue of giving the national government power over the states.

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to approve Alito’s nomination. Now the vote goes to the Senate, where a majority vote is needed for confirmation. There are 55 republicans in the senate, and it is expected that the vote will fall on a straight party line. The only way for the confirmation to be blocked is for the democrats to filibuster the vote.

Call your Senators NOW and demand they support a filibuster of the Alito confirmation:

1-877-851-6437

That’s the Capitol. They will say “The Capitol, how may I help you” and then you say “Could you please connect me to Mr(s). _____’s office?” It’s awesome.

Then say something like “I am from [city]. I urge you to filibuster the Alito confirmation. Supreme Court Justices serve in lifetime appointments, and the office is too important to risk confirmation of someone who has demonstrated repeatedly that he is far outside the mainstream.”

If no one picks up, leave a message.

Do this TWICE, once for each senator. NOW. 90 seconds each. (Find out who your senators are here)

And forward this page to all of your friends.

If you call I will dance for you like this:

Lots of info on the confirmation process and Alito’s judicial record here.

Info on Alito from Stories in America:

Michael Avery, President of [The Lawyers Guild], declared, “We are particularly concerned that Samuel Alito will not impose necessary limits on presidential power and insist upon the checks and balances required by the Constitution. His long membership in the Federalist Society and his writings demonstrate that he believes in the Imperial Presidency, which is unfortunately what George W. Bush has been trying to create.” Avery noted that, “Appointing such a person to the Supreme Court is a terrible risk at a time when the President is asserting an unprecedented ability to act outside the Constitution and contrary to the wishes of the other branches, as demonstrated by the illegal electronic surveillance he has admitted authorizing.” The Guild noted that, as documented by the Alliance for Justice, Alito has been extraordinarily deferential to the exercise of power by the executive branch and government officials.

update: here is a list of Senators who are against a filibuster (or undecided).

ShareThis