Forum: The Nomination of Judge Samuel Alito

The Nomination of Judge Samuel Alito

Judge Samuel Alito has been recommended by President George Bush to sit on the Supreme Court of the land. His nomination to the Court is now being debated by the Senate and the American People. There are a number of important considerations to be debated concerning this nominee.

One of these important considerations is Judge Alito’s religious affiliations. If approved and seated on the Court Samuel Alito will be the fifth Catholic among the nine members of the Supreme Court. What, if anything, does this imply?

First of all, this will be the first time in American history that a majority of the Court will consist of individuals of the Catholic religion. This should be a cause of concern for all Americans, not simply for pro-Catholics or anti-Catholics. Catholic thought has not always been central to the American experiment. In some important ways, Catholic thought is significantly removed from the founding and prevailing thought of this nation. That difference currently reveals itself in the debates over the ‘right of privacy’ issue, as well as the debate over other current national issues. What, if anything, does the nomination of Samuel Alito signify relative to this important issue?

Then, there are the legal and political issues that Samuel Alito’s nomination presents. Will his presence on the Court, if approved, portend a significant shift in the thinking and direction of this legal and political body? This is a matter of prime national consideration and it will be debated vigorously within the Senate and the nation.

Finally, we believe, the nomination of this individual to the Supreme Court reveals a powerful dynamic within and for Catholic Americans. The selection of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the land, and now the nomination of a fifth Catholic among the nine members of the Court,  is a significant step in the history of the American Catholic community. It occurs at a time when the traditional leadership of this community, the bishops, has been seriously, and perhaps lastingly, shattered. Samuel Alito now ranks among the emerging leading personalities in the American Catholic community, and none of these personalities is a bishop -- they are all laypeople. Is this a solid dynamic, and what does it portend for the future of the American Catholic community, and possibly for the future of American society?

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