Judging Alito. It's All About Philosophy.

Alan Stewart Carl wants to see a good debate about judicial philosophy during Judge Samuel Alito's confirmation hearings for the U.S. Supreme Court. The moderate blogger writes: "A lot of people have claimed that since Alito is replacing the moderate Sandra Day O’Connor he should be moderate himself. Hogwash. Supreme Court seats aren’t reserved for particular ideologies anymore than they are reserved for specific genders, races or religions. The 'moderate seat' idea needs to be left out of the debate. A lot of people are also focusing on how he may rule on specific cases--abortion being the most important to both sides. This too should be left out of the equation. Why? Because it’s foolish to judge a man on one vote that he may or may not cast.....No, I think the proper way to question this and every nominee is by delving deep into their judicial philosophy. What methods does he use to arrive at his decisions? What role should the original intent of an Article or Amendment play in decision making? What role should precedent play and when is it acceptable to overturn precedent?"