Ellington

Here are eleven reasons to filibuster Samuel Alito. Happy Halloween (a little belated, but hey, I'm on deadline):

Caruso v. Blockbuster-Sony Music Entertainment Center: According to Alito, the Americans with Disabilities Act may require wheelchair access to theaters, but it doesn't require the theaters to be set up in such a way as to allow those in wheelchairs to actually see anything.

Chittester v. Department of Community and Economic Development: Called on court to strike down parts of the Family and Medical Leave Act dealing with civil litigation, shielding corporations from lawsuits based on FMLA violations. Oh, and he also suggested that men are just as likely to be affected by the act as women are. So much for single mothers, I guess.

Doe v. Groody: If police officers get a search warrant allowing them to search a man and his property for methamphetamines, they can also strip-search his wife and 10-year-old daughter without a warrant.

D.R. v. Middle Bucks Area Vocational Tech School: Public schools and universities are not responsible for protecting students from sexual harassment, even when harassment takes place inside the actual classroom.

Lee v. Ashcroft: You may be documented immigrants who have lived in the United States legally for twenty years, and you may have had children who are U.S. citizens. But if you fill out a tax return incorrectly--even if the error is found not to constitute tax evasion--then, as far as Alito is concerned, you are guilty of an "aggravated felony" and should be deported.

Pemberthy v. Beyer: If you're trying a Hispanic defendant and want to exclude Latinos from the jury pool, just exclude all potential jurors who speak Spanish. According to Alito, this does not qualify as discrimination.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey: Laws requiring women to consult their husbands before having abortions are not unconstitutional. Neither are laws requiring minors to obtain permission from their parents, mandatory 24-hour waiting periods, and exceptionally strict documentation requirements for abortion clinics.

Riley v. Taylor: If the prosecution is trying a death penalty case against an African-American defendant and just happens to exclude every single potential minority juror, resulting in an all-white jury, Alito has no problem with that.

Robinson v. City of Pittsburgh: Employers who ignore reports of sexual harassment may not be sued for it unless they're directly responsible for the offender, and past histories of those accused of sexual harassment are not admissible.

United States v. Rybar: The government does not have the authority to regulate the sale of machine guns.

United States v. Ward: Courts may test rape victims for HIV-AIDS against their will.

Previous Comments

ID

103406

Comment

You know, when Alito isn't wearing his glasses, he looks a heck of a lot like Michael Ian Black...

Author

Tom Head

Date

2005-11-02T00:45:25-06:00

ID

103407

Comment

My second opinion: Judging Sam. Very important to read the whole Newsweek piece, because it makes a very broad, biographical case for Alito as a moderate justice.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2005-11-06T01:04:19-06:00