WASHINGTON — President Bush's Supreme Court pick, Samuel Alito, has more judicial experience than any nominee in 70 years, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl said Monday as senators began confirmation hearings.
As Democrats raised questions about Bush's choice of Alito to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Kyl and other Republicans praised him.
"With your intellect and education, you could have become a wealthy attorney, but instead you devoted virtually all of your legal career to the public service," Kyl told Alito. "Perhaps this is because, like Justices (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg and (Antonin) Scalia, you had a father who was an immigrant to this nation. It seems that immigrants often have a special understanding of the incredible opportunities that this nation affords its citizens."
Monday was the beginning of what likely will be a week of intense questioning for Alito.
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Senators on the judiciary committee began by delivering 10-minute opening statements. Democrats expressed concerns about several of Alito's decisions and writings from his 15 years on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and his time before that as a lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department.
Alito advised in memos written during the 1980s that he believed there was no constitutional right to abortion.
Alito's support for a powerful executive branch is shaping up to be the most controversial issue as questions are being raised about Bush's secret decision to wiretap U.S. residents suspected of communicating with terrorists.
Some senators said they are concerned about Bush's choice of Alito to succeed O'Connor, an Arizonan who has been a swing vote on abortion and affirmative action and who expressed strong reservations about broad presidential power.
But Kyl said that given Alito's qualifications, he is inclined to confirm him.
"It appears to me that you easily fit into the mold of what this nation has come to expect from its Supreme Court justices: A first-rate intellect. Demonstrated academic excellence. A life of engagement with serious constitutional analysis. And a reputation for fair-mindedness and modesty," Kyl said.
"These are the standards for a Supreme Court justice, and you plainly meet those expectations."
As he did last year during the confirmation of now-Chief Justice John Roberts, Kyl urged his fellow senators to focus on Alito's judicial record and not his political opinions.
"Some of my colleagues are fond of asking the question, 'Which side are you on?' Politicians must pick sides regularly — every time they vote — so it is perhaps natural that they see the world as a battle between competing groups," Kyl said. "But … the only relevant 'side' is that of the law and the Constitution."
Kyl was not the only Arizona lawmaker involved in the Alito hearings Monday.
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., joined hundreds of anti-abortion activists and others rallying in support of Alito in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.
