National Lawyers Association rates Judge Alito 'well-qualified' to become a justice of the Supreme Court    

[JAN. 27, 2006]  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- After a review of his judicial opinions and his service on the federal bench, the board of directors of the National Lawyers Association rates Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. as "well-qualified" to become a justice of the Supreme Court.

The National Lawyers Association, headquartered at Independence, Mo., has developed guidelines for evaluating candidates for judicial office and has established three categories to be considered in rating nominees for the federal judiciary: judicial scholarship and reasoning, judicial activism, and Bill of Rights.

Alito possesses a well-developed and clear legal mind. He has more judicial experience than most Supreme Court candidates. During his distinguished career as a litigator and a judge, he has demonstrated a deep mastery of the law along with sound legal judgment. Over the past 15 years he has participated in thousands of appeals and authored hundreds of opinions. He is a careful legal writer who is very selective and succinct in his word usage.

Alito is an impartial judge, has an agreeable judicial temperament and is a man of personal character. Without fail, those who know him describe him as quiet and reserved, but very intelligent and rational. He has a reputation as an even-tempered and fair-minded judge who is legally demanding in his analysis. Alito is faithful in his interpretation of the Constitution and statutes before him, and he has shown that he is committed to the rule of law.

For these reasons and others too numerous to list in this news release, the National Lawyers Association rates Alito "well-qualified" to become a justice of the Supreme Court.

The National Lawyers Association acknowledges the assistance of Associate Dean Mitchell Counts and students John Baier and Jesse Norman of the Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, Mich., in researching and compiling Alito's writings.

[National Lawyers Association news release provided by Richard L. Haeussler, president]