Orrin Hatch: “I enjoyed my colleague's remarks. We are in the final stretch of considering the nomination of Samuel Alito to the…”

“I enjoyed my colleague's remarks. We are in the final stretch of considering the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States, and by any reasonable objective or traditional standard, Judge Alito deserves overwhelming confirmation, without question. The first reason Judge Alito should be confirmed is that he is highly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. It amazes me that some parties to this debate practically ignore his qualifications altogether. They are so intent on manufacturing a case against this nominee that they brush aside this seemingly minor detail of his qualifications as if it were just an annoyance. After serving in the Department of Justice and as a highly regarded Federal prosecutor, Judge Alito has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit since 1990, has participated in nearly 5,000 cases, and has written more than 360 opinions. He has more judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in the last three-quarters of a century. The American Bar Association, which conducts perhaps the most comprehensive and exhaustive evaluation of Supreme Court nominees, interviewed more than 300 people who know and have worked with Judge Alito. The American Bar Association, after all those interviews, unanimously gave Judge Alito its highest well-qualified rating. Here, too, it is amazing how some Senators and leftwing interest groups brush aside this ABA rating as if they were dusting the mantel.…”