Alito bucks the conservative line?

[Norman Bernstein]

As the disclaimer goes, "past results are no indicator of future performance".


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito disagreed with the court's conservatives and refused to allow Missouri to execute a man convicted of kidnapping and killing a Kansas City teenager 17 years ago.

Alito sided with the majority in a 6-3 vote that rejected a last minute request to allow Missouri to carry out the execution of Michael Taylor, 39, by lethal injection at midnight, a court spokesman said on Thursday.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas voted to let the execution proceed.

The court's action was contained in a two-sentence order. The state's request was presented to Alito, who has responsibility for appeals from the U.S. appeals court based in Missouri, and he referred the request to the full court.

Earlier on Wednesday, the court had issued orders that would have allowed the execution to proceed.

[Jagermeister]

This vote was entirely expected, and consistent with Justice Alito's stated intentions.

If people had listened during the confirmation hearings, they would have heard Alito say that in the case of a close vote on a stay of execution, he would vote for the stay as a "judicial courtesy", so that the case would at least be considered. He said something to the effect that he would not want to be the swing vote that put an innocent man to death.

- Kevin

[Donn]

How's that for a slam-dunk illustration of the lies and hyperbole of Kennedy, Kerry, Schumer and the rest? :D

[Figment]

One case.

How many cases is Alito likely to see during his LIFETIME APPOINTMENT?

[Alan D. Hyde]

Perhaps as many as Ruth Bader Ginsberg sees during her LIFETIME APPOINTMENT...

Alan

[Norman Bernstein]

If people had listened during the confirmation hearings, they would have heard Alito say that in the case of a close vote on a stay of execution, he would vote for the stay as a "judicial courtesy", so that the case would at least be considered. He said something to the effect that he would not want to be the swing vote that put an innocent man to death.
I didn't watch the hearings, so I hadn't heard of his statement about this subject.

[Donn]

It wouldn't have been the deciding vote anyway. He did it to rub the Democratic Senator's noses in it.

[Jagermeister]

Sorry, Norman. That was a little harsh of me. My ire isn't directed at you, who after all can't be expected to be a C-SPAN junkie, but at the general media which caricatures nominees. I suspect they didn't report that exchange because it didn't fit their stereotype.

- Kevin