Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Alito Writings: Pro-Governmnent Anti-Civil Liberties


CLICK TO READ: '86 Alito Memo Argues Against Foreigners' Rights by Jo Becker and Amy Goldstein, Washington Post
Work for Justice Dept. Points to Views That May Affect Anti-Terrorism Rulings on High Court

"As a senior lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department, Samuel A. Alito Jr. argued that immigrants who enter the United States illegally and foreigners living outside their countries are not entitled to the constitutional rights afforded to Americans....

'He seems to be saying that there is no constitutional constraints placed on U.S. officials in their treatment of nonresident aliens or illegal aliens. Could you shoot them? Could you torture them?' conservative constitutional analyst Bruce Fein, who served in the Reagan administration with Alito, asked. 'It's a very aggressive reading of cases that addressed much narrower issues.'"

If this guy becomes a Supreme Court Justice, Bush and his Gang will have exactly what they want: a police state. American sponsored torture, unlimited detentions without charges, and a lot more (as long as it is not on American soil--and who knows, that could change) will be perfectly legal. This man is as dangerous as his promoters in the White House and their neo-con conspirators.

"His writings show Alito in sync with the philosophy of the Republican administration of which he was a part, staking out strong stances on aggressive law enforcement and on states' rights. The views he expresses also could be construed as paralleling those of the Bush administration as it has pursued its campaign against terrorists, legal experts said.

"In his 1986 memo, Alito cites a 1950 Supreme Court case to support the contention that nonresident immigrants of other countries have "no due process rights" under the Constitution and a 1970 case that he said suggests illegal immigrants in the United States have limited constitutional rights.

Martin Redish, a constitutional law professor at Northwestern University Law School, said that view could also be used to justify a current administration policy under which the CIA is interrogating suspected terrorists in a covert prison system in Eastern Europe and elsewhere...."

Other writings indicate Alito siding consistently on the side of government against civil rights.

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