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January 17, 2006BELTWAY BLOGROLL
The Irrelevance Of Confirmation Hearings
George Washington University law professor Daniel Solove has painted an ugly but accurate picture of the "ritual" of Supreme Court confirmation hearings after last week's sessions for Judge Samuel Alito.
"[T]he nominee must say that he'll have an open mind, that he will decide cases according to the 'rule of law,' that he has respect for precedent, and that he won't be a 'judicial activist,'" Solove wrote at Concurring Opinions. "The nominee must sit calmly while senators bluster and wait out the storm."
These days, he finds the pre-hearing vetting to be far more useful. "Most of the discussion occurred beforehand in the media and in the blogosphere. [Harriet] Miers, for example, had a hearing of sorts and was rejected before her official confirmation hearing had even begun."
The message: The blogosphere is helping to make a tradition of the establishment irrelevant. I expect more of that.
Posted by | 07:11 AM
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