New Clerk for Alito Has a Long Paper Trail

[Rose Siding]

JUSTICE SAMUEL A. ALITO JR., who was so bland and self-effacing at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings last month, made a bold decision on arriving at the court. He hired Adam G. Ciongoli, a former top aide to Attorney General John Ashcroft and an architect of the Bush administration's legal strategy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, to be one of his law clerks.

In the world of clerkdom, Mr. Ciongoli's appointment was a startling development, both because of his seniority and because of his political background. While his paper trail might attract critics eager to see potential conflicts of interest, his substantial professional experience, rare among clerks, may also be a big asset.

"We don't normally contemplate a high-level Justice Department official becoming a Supreme Court clerk," said Ronald D. Rotunda, a specialist in legal ethics at George Mason University School of Law. "It's just asking for problems that are unnecessary." Most Supreme Court law clerks, who prepare memorandums and draft decisions for the justices, have little of note on their résumés beyond superior grades at a top law school and a clerkship with a federal appeals court judge.
.....
"It really indicates a lapse in judgment," Deborah L. Rhode, who teaches legal ethics at Stanford, said of Justice Alito's decision. "I just don't think it helps your reputation for nonpartisanship, particularly after such partisan confirmation hearings, to start out by hiring someone who is perceived to have an ideological agenda."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/weekinreview/19liptak.html?ex=1298005200&en=6cf6798a30d1ddd8&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

[UrbScotty]

1. Sad that his clerk has a longer paper trail than many voting machines (nt)

[madaboutharry]

2. This demonstrates how the neo-cons truly

disrespect our institutions. It is all a joke to them. Clerks are traditionally recent law school graduates who understand their position as researchers and memo drafters. In this case, we see that Alito is only interested in driving an agenda that most Americans, if they truly understood that agenda, would find appalling.

[BlueManDude]

4. shows how important this nomination was/is to them

any notion that alito will actually be a fair arbiter of the law as opposed to an ideologue has certainly been dispelled (not that i had any doubt but amazingly there are those who still give gopers the benny of a doubt).

this guy will keep a good eye on sammy to make sure he doesn't become david souter. sad.

[mom cat]

24. Remember the Alito traitors well ... Never forget their treason.

[depakid]

3. Gee, who'd have thought

That a man who promised once before under oath to Congress that he would recuse himself from any cases involving company in which he had a substantial financial interest- and then ruled on a case in in the company's favor- would mislead the Democrats in Congress yet again?

This guy's another Scalia- and has no respect for the court- or for protocol.

I've said it before- confirming Alito (along with all the other far right enabling they engaged in over that 10 day period) will cost the Dems any chance they had at becoming a majority in either house in 2006.

No one trusts the Dems to lead- not even their own base.

And now that the tone's been set for the year- it's not going to change.

At this point, the best thing anyone can do is work to make life as difficult for the DINO's as possible- and try to make sure they pay a heavy price for repeatedly undercutting the party.

In some cases- that may even mean allowing a Republican to take their seat.

[Auntie Bush]

5. Why? How would that make things any better?

:shrug: "that may even mean allowing a Republican to take their seat."


At least they vote for our side sometimes. That seems better than never. Most the DINO's are from red states and they have to appease their constituents sometimes or they would never be elected, so maybe we should give them a break. The same things true with Chaffey. He's in a Democratic state and area so he has to vote with us once in awhile or get booted by his base. Don't forget this IS POLITICS and they are ALL politicians.

[depakid]

7. Mid to long term thinking

So long as there are right wing enablers- who consistently cross party lines to vote with the opposition- with apparent impunity, the Dems will never be able to put together a coherent message that contrasts with the far right.

They'll never be able to nationalize a campaign- and that's (at the very least) what'll be required to regain majority status.

Take a page from the Republicans' winning playbook. Do you think they'd tolerate the sort of voting patterns that the Dems have? I don't think so.

That's why they're the majority party- and one of the major reasons why they've won 6 straight Congressional elections, despite taking unpopular stands on the issues. Now, they're poised to win a 7th in a row- despite imploding.

[Auntie Bush]

9. That's good planning but, they would never have gotten elected

in the first place if they showed their true colors. Rethugs vote in lock step because of people like DeLay who would chew them up and spit them out...right out of office. We aren't nasty and mean enough to rule like that. Plus they offer them lots of goodies (bribes) to vote along party lines. (Lot's of illegal nasty stuff) What can ya do? I frankly don't know! :shrug: But I'm beginning to think a lot of them got elected by the same means bush* got elected. If they can rig the election for him...why not congressmen and senators? How about Coleman and what's his face that was connected to Diebold?

[0007]

13. It just keeps getting worse. The fact is that the repukes can

out spin us every time and on every issue. For example when they keep telling everyone that Alito wasn't gonna make new law, that his job was to keep to the letter of the law. We all remember John Ashcroft and what he did. Now we have another John Ashcroft with a different face and a deferent name in Adam G. Ciongoli.

We're so screwed. And when its over the dogs won't even want this third world country.

[AndyTiedye]

11. There Is No Long Term For Us, If Repubs Win Any More Seats

Our party, the two party system, and our entire Republic is dangling over a cliff and hanging on by its fingernails.
If we lose any more seats in Congress or the Supreme Court, we are no longer hanging by our fingernails, we are crashing to our doom.

[depakid]

12. What make you think the DINO's won't still vote with Repulicans?

They've shown little loyalty to the party over the past 6 years. There's almost alwas 5 or 6 who cross over- and sometimes considerably more (as was the case with Roberts and Alito).

And at anyrate, I don't accept your premise- nor is there evidence for it. Republican lite as a so called "strategy" has lost 6 congressional elections in a row- and barring some deux ex machina is going to lose a 7th.

Personally- I think Ben Franklin's thoughts on the matter are both relevant and wise:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

As long as the Dems keep playing the same game- they'll be percieved as weak and ineffectual, lacking direction and a consistent, coherent message.

What's worse- DINO's hurt candidates in what would otherwise be winnable districts. They deflate the base- and are the major reason why the party has so little appeal to non-voters- as well a lot of the fence sitters.

The only way around that is to make the DINO's accountable- and kick some of them out on their asses- so the rest have some incentive to fall in line. Otherwise, they'll keep selling us all out for the money.

[orleans]

6. how horrible--but it figures. n/t

[TaleWgnDg]

8. Indicia about Sam Alito's new law clerk was posted earlier in DU/Justice

.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=224x1376

[dchill]

10. "We don't normally contemplate...

...a high-level Justice Department official becoming a Supreme Court clerk,"

Get used to it, Mr. Ron Rotunda, get used to it.

"It really indicates a lapse in judgment,"

Was that your first indication, Deb?

[xchrom]

14. who cares what i think -- i wanna what those fools who

wouldn't support the filibuster think.

[Laelth]

15. Just in case anyone needs a reminder ...

Here they are:

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)

-Laelth

[UTUSN]

16. K&R n/t

[Evergreen Emerald]

17. we are near the end of a coup

The Congress
The president
The supreme court
The media
The world bank
The United Nations
The head of every governmental agency (just to name a few)

This latest infiltration is not a "lapse in judgment" it is part of the (dare I say it) vast right-wing conspiracy. Our system of government has been under attack and the coup is nearly complete. And we are not connecting the dots.

The arrogance of Cheney is the latest indication: he does not need to tell the American people anything. We have no right to know what those in power do. If he wants to be on vacation, screwing around on his wife and shooting someone in the face while he forces our troops into battle--it is his call. They are attempting to get us used to a new form of government.

[CoffeeCat]

23. Your post is spot on...

...and also very frightening.

You're right.

I'm sad that I no longer want to be in this country.

[Evergreen Emerald]

25. It is frightening...

What is so scary is that we are underestimating the destruction of our form of government. The thought of moving to another country has also crossed my mind.

[hang a left]

18. I am speechless.

[Blue_Tires]

26. i'm not....

this stuff with Alito is just the tip of the iceberg....just wait a few more years

[maryallen]

19. Oh, but the Dems couldn't be bothered with a filibuster ...

Keeping their powder dry, you know ...

[hang a left]

20. .........

[Canuckistanian]

21. See? This illustrates the difference between the parties

This isn't just a shrewd political move, it's a reshaping of the whole system. SC clerks are where you are supposed to put the bright young legal minds, the future Rehnquists.

By doing this, they're INSURING that the Court remains forever tilted to the right.

They can't even take a chance on an unknown, untested, pimply-faced kid anymore, not even for such a seemingly lowly position.

They're playing with loaded guns now.

[CoffeeCat]

22. This is Bush and Alito giving us the finger...

Alito was obtuse during the hearings.

Now, he can let loose and graphically display what a partisan fascist he is--just like the rest of the neocons.

This is their way of saying...'nothing you idiots can do about it now...but sit back and watch the evil unfurl!'