Samuel Alito was confirmed to the Supreme Court by a 58-42 vote in the Senate today, the closest vote on a Supreme Court nominee since Clarence Thomas (52-48).
“After Clarence Thomas was confirmed, several Senators lost their seats,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “The consequences of the Republican stacking of the Supreme Court with reactionary justices will tragically be to remind America again and again of these bleak days for social justice.”
Only four Democrats voted in favor of Alito’s confirmation: Senators Nelson (NE), Johnson (SD), Conrad (ND), and Byrd (WV). Lincoln Chafee (RI), who is facing a tough race for reelection in the fall, was the only Republican to vote against Alito. Chafee, however, voted Ôyes’ on cloture yesterday, which upset his pro-choice base.
GET THE INSIDE SCOOP with The Smeal Report and the New Leif blogs at MsMagazine.com
