Schumer: Roberts, Alito 'duped' us at their confirmation hearings

"Were we too easily impressed by the charm of nominee Roberts," asks New York Sen. Charles Schumer at a recent speech to the American Constitution Society, "and the erudition of nominee Alito?"

Given the recent 5-4 decisions on abortion rights, free speech and integration in schools, Sen. Schumer feels as though the Senate Judiciary Committee was "duped" during confirmation hearings for the two most recent additions to the US Supreme Court: Bush nominees Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

Continues Schumer, "Did we mistakenly vote our hopes when our fears were more than justified by the ultraconservative records of these two men?"

"Yes."

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EXCERPTS:

His comments came days after Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a moderate Republican, said he intended to review the congressional testimony of Roberts and Alito.

The Politico, a Washington-based newspaper, quoted Specter as saying he wanted to see if Roberts and Alito had "lived up" to their promises to respect legal precedents.

A Republican leadership aide dismissed Schumer's criticism, saying, "The only people that were duped were those that listened to Democrats tell us the sky would be falling once these jurists were on the bench."

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The entire Reuters article can be read HERE.



