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Alito troubled by concerns about court's Catholics
WHBF ^ | 10/20/2009

Posted on 10/21/2009 3:00:34 AM PDT by markomalley

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is voicing frustration over what he calls persistent questions about the court's Roman Catholic majority.

Alito aired his concerns in a speech Tuesday to an Italian-American law group in Philadelphia. He said respectable people in serious publications have questioned whether the Catholic-raised judges could be trusted to do their jobs. He said he thought the Constitution settled the question long ago with its guarantee of religious freedom.

Alito is one of six justices on the nine-member court who were raised Catholic, including new Justice Sonia Sotomayor. A dozen of the 111 jurists in the court's history have been Catholic.


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: catholic; scotus
The answer is clear: Catholics should be banned from holding public office, including judicial appointments, right?

/sarc

1 posted on 10/21/2009 3:00:34 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: markomalley

Soomeyar may have been raised Catholic, but she is no more Catholic than I am Buddhist.


2 posted on 10/21/2009 3:15:44 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: markomalley

“...He said he thought the Constitution settled the question long ago with its guarantee of religious freedom.”

Good thing he didn’t say that before his confirmation or he would never have been confirmed. ;)


3 posted on 10/21/2009 3:32:38 AM PDT by Never on my watch (The lunatics are in the White House - meet me on the dark side of the Moon.)
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To: Siobhan; Canticle_of_Deborah; NYer; Salvation; american colleen; Desdemona; StAthanasiustheGreat; ..

Catholic ping!


4 posted on 10/21/2009 9:02:04 AM PDT by Pyro7480 ("If you know how not to pray, take Joseph as your master, and you will not go astray." - St. Teresa)
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To: markomalley
My CAT is more Catholic than Sotomayor. And she's Siamese, so I suppose she's Buddhist.

At least she doesn't support abortion . . . .

5 posted on 10/21/2009 9:32:49 AM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary - (recess appointment))
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To: markomalley

What hyper-hysterical nonsense! It is highly unlikely that more than 3 of them (Scalia, Thomas and Alito) would even “theoretically” inform their judicial opinions on Catholic principles. And I give all three of them credit for at least some objectivity in considering “constitutional issues” first.

Besides, what happened to this little bit in article 6, section 3 of the Constitution: “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States”?

Was anyone worried about this sort of religious affiliation stuff when the entire court consisted of generic Protestants? After all, such was the case until Roger Taney became the first Catholic justice in the 1830s.


6 posted on 10/21/2009 9:34:36 AM PDT by magisterium
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To: AnAmericanMother

Plus I would rather see your cat on the SC than Sotomayor.


7 posted on 10/21/2009 4:33:03 PM PDT by TradicalRC (The peace sign is the new swastika.)
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To: TradicalRC
My cat would do a better job -- she knows the maxim: First, do no harm.

And if there were any mice, roaches or crickets in the building she would execute summary judgment upon them.

8 posted on 10/21/2009 7:18:06 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary - (recess appointment))
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To: magisterium

It seems that the Constitution was actually written to prevent the religious tests that were in place in some of the original states

(which actually did prohibit Catholics and Jews from holding office and did otherwise expressly discriminate against Catholics and Jews)

from being imposed on federal office-seekers and federal office-holders.


9 posted on 10/22/2009 8:58:57 AM PDT by Notwithstanding (Wer glaubt ist nie allein. Who believes is never alone.)
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To: markomalley

Plenty of Dem Catholics who believe killing babies is a good thing!!! Nuff said


10 posted on 10/26/2009 6:43:14 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau
Plenty of Dem Catholics who believe killing babies is a good thing!!! Nuff said

Unfortunately...

11 posted on 10/26/2009 6:44:08 AM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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