Alito vows ‘open mind’ on abortion cases

Partisan questioning, assessment
Given the strong possibility of a party-line vote in committee, it seemed at times that Alito was testifying at two parallel hearings. Democrats peppered him with questions about his rulings in cases involving civil rights, presidential power, criminal cases and more. Republicans often invited him to defend his actions and rulings of the past.

Leahy first mentioned Alito’s membership in the Concerned Alumni of Princeton, a group that opposed admission of increased numbers of women and minorities.

“I really have no specific recollection of that organization,” Alito said, although he did not dispute that he belonged to it.

Moments later, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, returned to the issue.

“Let me just ask you directly, on the record, are you against women and minorities attending colleges?”

“Absolutely not, Senator. No,” he replied.

Said Hatch, “You know, I felt that that would be your answer. I really did.”

Hatch also asked about Vanguard in what Republican officials said was an attempt to pre-empt Democrats. But it was Feingold several hours later who pressed Alito into conceding he did not know whether he had ever told officials at the appeals court to place Vanguard and other entities on a list of cases he should avoid.

Outside the committee rooms, senators of both parties offered differing assessments of the proceedings.

“I think Judge Alito went farther than Chief Justice Roberts did” in discussing abortion, said Specter, signaling satisfaction with the responses to his questions.

But Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. dissented. “We’re going to keep asking questions until we find out specific answers to how he feels about major issues confronting Americans today,” he said.

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