Posted on 11/20/2005 10:16:45 AM PST by GeneD
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chance of a filibuster to halt the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito rose on news he once opposed 1960s Supreme Court rulings on reapportionment based on the principle of equal voting rights, a top Democrat on the Senate judiciary panel said on Sunday.
Sen. Joseph Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, told Fox News Sunday that a decision by Democrats to filibuster would depend largely on Alito's answers during judiciary committee questioning scheduled for January.
Prior to the Warren court's decisions, some state legislators were elected on a geographical basis, giving thinly populated rural areas more political heft than urban centers.
"If he really believes that reapportionment is a questionable decision -- that is, the idea of Baker vs. Carr, one man, one vote -- then clearly, clearly, you'll find a lot of people, including me, willing to do whatever they can to keep him off the court. We don't know that. We have to hear it," Biden said. "That would include a filibuster if need be."
Asked if this increased the chances of a filibuster, Biden said: "Well, I think based upon that job application where he said he strongly held these views, yes."
Thanks.
Meant to address #105 to you too.
Darn, I meant #121
Like nuance is a useful thing in this world of grownups, in the 21st century.
I would like to ask you for some more information on the "Cow don't vote" decision, starting with, what is it? :) I heard Biden's comments on Alito's stand on reapportionment and I wanted to get informed as to what that stand was. I think I have gathered so far (from Gordongekko909) that Alito thinks the lesser of two evils is letting state legislatures draw district lines as opposed to courts, and that it is Constitutionally sound to allow state legislatures to do so.
With the looming political fight, I just want to be able to explain to others what Alito's views are on issues and why. I know about the issue of reapportionment, but I don't know how to explain Alito's view of it to others with proof. This "cow" thing sounded promising so I thought I'd ask. :) Thanks.
Sen. Joseph Biden is disgusting. I can't think of a single good quality he has.
It would be good for the country to have this whole idea of one-man, one-vote rehashed in the Senate. It has always been an incomplete idea, because without a flat tax, one man one vote is a license for democracies to redistribute wealth. The poor will always outnumber the rich, but they both have equal property rights. It should be one man, one vote, one tax. If we have flat representation, i.e. one man one vote, we should have flat taxation, not progressive taxation.
The 16th Amendment/nightmare actually says "...and without regard to any census or enumeration". I can't believe what has been done to our Constitution. We have progressive taxation, with flat representation.
Yeah, right.
If Pryor, both Nelsons etc.. say this it will be ON. Biden is full of hot air and his comments don't mean a damn thing. Completely irrelevant.
that pos is judging people? another kennedy clone
Well, yes, except it was the House Republicans that showed that brilliance. Part of the reason the House called a vote was to clean up the mess the Senate Republicans made their Dem lite resolution earlier in the week.
By my count House Republicans by defending the WOT, our troops, President...bought their re-elections. The Senate Republicans are still in the hole.
The dems have to come up with something nasty, and Alito's high on the list.
That is because he doesn't have any positive attributes : )
Dear Senator Biden:
Bring... It... On!!!
More precisely, the Warren Court was at least half-wrong.
Leaving aside the question of whether the US Supreme Court should be ruling on the internal affairs of states at all, at the very least, only the lower legislative body should have been affected by these decisions.
To make both bodies subject to proportional representation renders the entire idea of a bicameral legislature meaningless. The upper chamber of a bicameral system has always been non-representative, whether it be the old Roman Senate, the House of Lords in England, or the Senate in Canada.
We should go back to having state legislatures choose US Senators but that is another issues...
I just don't believe in term limits. I want the freedom to vote for the person who I want in office. If that person happens to be a person who has held that office awhile and has proven him/her self, then I don't want a law forbidding me to vote for them. I also think that who holds power would shift. I personally think that unelected, behind-the-scenes people who can spend their entire lives in DC would gain more power. They are often unseen and we can't vote them out. Regular elections are the best term limits that I know--ones decided by the voters.
how dare you call this narcissistic blowhard a whore and a liar?
Hey thanks. I forgot to mention the narcissism!
Well then impeach Stevens and Ginsberg and we will call it even.
When, for God's sakes, when will Bush and the Admin and the GOP Congressmen realize that the RATs are waging a war against the GOP for opportunistic purposes, and they don't give a damn about the future of our nation. I have had enough of Bush saying Murtha is great, Kennedy is a fine Senator, and other BS like that. Mexico invades our nation and Bush does nothing. Iran builds IEDs and kill our troops and Bush does nothing. Syria funnels thugs into Iraq to kill our troops and Bush does nothing. The RATs wage war against the GOP and Bush does nothing. The GOP at large does nothing.
To say there is no spine in the GOP is a gross understatement.
I'm a little pressed for time today and I hate that because this is my favorite subject. I left the "s" off of what should have read "Cows Don't Vote" and made it harder to understand the imfamous old phrase the Warren Court used to blastpheme the US Constitution and desecrate it!
Another way to put it that is even more dramatic and bizzare is... Try to imagine the upper house of the US legislature with only one representative for 8, or 9 western states!!!
"Maybe we need an AGE limit for members of Congress too. How old is Biden, 63? Not too old but he first got elected in 1972. He and too many others believe they should hold these seats for life. Many members are in their 70s and 80s."
No, what we need is a Constitutional Amendment that limits House and Senate terms to two. That is the only way to fix Washington.
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