Alito Receives Top Rating from Bar Association

Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito received the highest rating possible from the American Bar Association on Wednesday, ahead of next week's confirmation hearings.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Samuel Alito received the highest rating possible from the American Bar Association on Wednesday, ahead of confirmation hearings before Senators next week.

The rating from the nation’s largest legal group was delivered in a letter by mail to the 18 Senate judiciary committee members who will question Alito about his judicial philosophy over several days to give consent, as required by the U.S. Constitution, to the nominee.

“As a result of our investigation, the committee is of the unanimous opinion that Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. is well-qualified for appointment as associate justice of the United States Supreme Court," said Stephen L. Tober, chairman of the ABA panel, according to the Associated Press.

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The rating of “well-qualified” is one of three options available, which include “qualified” and “unqualified. The ABA, which has given the ratings for federal judicial nominees for more than 50 years, does not have legal standing in the nomination process.

Current Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts had received the same recommendation in 2005. Nominee Harriet Miers dropped her bid to become Associate Justice before the ABA had the opportunity to give her a rating.

In 2001 President Bush stopped giving preferential treatment to the ABA to review candidates before other groups. The White House said that it would be “inappropriate” to give a “quasi-official” role on divisive political, legal and social issues that come before the courts.

Alito supporter Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said the rating confirmed what the “overwhelming majority of Americans believe.”

Documents released from Alito’s time working as a lawyer in the 1980s for the Reagan Administration showed that he held personal conservative views and opposed abortion.

However in recent closed door discussions with senators, he said that his role as an advocate then was much different from his role as a judge. He said he would not bring his personal views into the cases but rely on the constitution and respect precedent, according to senators who spoke with him.

Sen. John Contyn (R-Texas) said “unfortunately, the hard left groups” had already made up their minds in opposing Alito.

“And some Senate Democrats, including some who have previously described the ABA's evaluation as the gold standard, will now dismiss the rating as meaningless," he added.

In 1990, Alito received the same rating when the Bush’s father Former President George H.W. Bush nominated Alito to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has served for the past 15 years.

Some conservative Christian legal groups have already endorsed the candidate while others wait for the results of the hearings to take place.