Release date: Oct. 31, 2005
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Supreme Court Nominee Alito Could Spark Bigger Debates, Says Strahan

With President George W. Bush looking on, Judge Samuel A. Alito acknowledges his nomination Monday, Oct. 31, 2005, as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. White House photo by Paul Morse

The expected debate over the nomination of conservative Judge Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court is also likely to raise important issues about the separation of powers and the rules that govern debate in the Senate, says Emory University political scientist Randall Strahan.

"The next few months should be an interesting and important chapter in American politics," says Strahan, an expert on U.S. Congressional leadership and development. "President Bush has thrown down a challenge to Democrats with the nomination of a strong judicial conservative."

The big question is whether or not the Democrats in the Senate will view this as a serious enough challenge to the issues their voters care about to mount a filibuster, and if they do, whether or not the Republicans are willing to change the rules of the Senate to get this nominee through," he says. "It’s all going to depend on how Alito and his record get defined over the next few weeks in the public debate that will occur involving members of Congress, the White House and the interest groups on both sides."

Strahan may be reached at 404-727-7913 or polsrs@emory.edu.

Back