Nation’s Premier Civil Rights Coalition Announces Opposition to Alito’s Supreme Court Nomination

As the case against Judge Samuel Alito mounts, including revelations in a 1985 job application that he was “particularly proud” of his work to limit remedies in racial discrimination cases and restrict affirmative action, today the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) announced opposition to Alito’s nomination. Wade Henderson, LCCR’s executive director, issued the following statement:

“Judge Alito’s hard line conservative ideology and key opinions in his 15-year record on the federal bench leave little to the imagination. His judicial philosophy is but a reflection of his 1985 job application articulating his commitment to a far right dangerous ideology. His stated views and narrow, regressive interpretation of the law leave the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights no choice but to oppose his nomination. If confirmed to the Supreme Court, Samuel Alito would be a threat to our civil rights.

We appreciate that elections have consequences. President Bush has every right to select a conservative nominee but Judge Alito’s views are not just conservative, they are well beyond the mainstream. Although his rhetoric may be measured, make no mistake about it, Alito is an ideologue with an agenda of using the judiciary to reverse or restrict important constitutional protections. His carefully worded opinions and dissents regarding voting rights, civil rights, rights of workers, and women’s rights cannot hide his hostility to the rights and freedoms Americans hold most dear.

The far right’s uninhibited embrace of Judge Alito stands in stark contrast to the irrational hysteria over President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers. The far right’s agenda is clear: to capture the Supreme Court and replace a moderate Sandra Day O’Connor with the litmus-tested Samuel Alito. The right is not fooled by Judge Alito’s mellow exterior and neither are we. He has demonstrated an intellectual narrowness rather than a compassionate commitment toward the preservation of our fundamental rights and freedoms.”

The full text of the letter of opposition sent to the Senate is available at CivilRights.org