Judge Watch

President Bush nominated Circuit Court Judge Samuel Alito today, here's a quick glance at his bio:

Born: 1950 in Trenton, New Jersey
Education: Princeton University, 1972; Yale Law School, 1975
Career: Judge on the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, nominated by former President Bush, 1990-present; U.S. attorney, 1987-1990; Deputy assistant U.S. attorney general, 1985-1987; Assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, 1981-1985; Assistant U.S. attorney, 1977-1981; Law clerk to the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, 1976-1977

Quick glance at some of his prior rulings:

Fraternal Order of Police v. City of Newark (1999): the 3rd Circuit ruled 3-0 that Muslim police officers in the city can keep their beards. The police had made exemption in its facial hair policy for medical reasons (a skin condition known as pseudo folliculitis barbae) but not for religious reasons. Alito wrote the opinion, saying, "We cannot accept the department's position that its differential treatment of medical exemptions and religious exemptions is premised on a good-faith belief that the former may be required by law while the latter are not."

Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1991): The 3rd Circuit struck down a Pennsylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses.
"The Pennsylvania legislature could have rationally believed that some married women are initially inclined to obtain an abortion without their husbands' knowledge because of perceived problems -- such as economic constraints, future plans, or the husbands' previously expressed opposition -- that may be obviated by discussion prior to the abortion," Alito wrote.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, struck down the spousal notification, but Chief Justice William Rehnquist quoted from Alito's opinion in his dissent.

Freedom of Speech, 2004: 3rd Circuit Court ruled that a Pennsylvania law prohibiting student newspapers from running ads for alcohol was unconstitutional. At issue was Act 199, an amendment to the Pennsylvania Liquor Code passed in 1996 that denied student newspapers advertising revenue from alcoholic beverages.
Alito said the law violated the First Amendment rights of the student newspaper, The Pitt News, from the University of Pittsburgh.
"If government were free to suppress disfavored speech by preventing potential speakers from being paid, there would not be much left of the First Amendment," Alito wrote.

ACLU v. Schundler (1999): He joined the majority opinion. At issue was a holiday display in Jersey City. The court held that the display didn't violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment because in addition to a creche and a menorah, it also had a Frosty the Snowman and a banner hailing diversity.

Fatin v. INS (1993): Alito joined the majority in ruling that an Iranian woman seeking asylum could establish eligibility based on citing that she would be persecuted for gender and belief in feminism.

In a May 2005 profile in the Newark Star-Ledger, Alito said, "Most of the labels people use to talk about judges, and the way judges decide (cases) aren't too descriptive. ... Judges should be judges. They shouldn't be legislators, they shouldn't be administrators."