Is Alito insane?

[spotbird]

Recently I watched the Supreme Court during an oral argument. It was fascinating to observe the justices, and for the most part they each acted as one would expect, except Alito. He behaved like a two year old, mumbling, grimacing and spinning around in his chair. I attributed it to the fact that he is an asshole and the Gang of Five had clearly already decided the case. But after last night I'm wondering if the dude is unstable.

[Vincardog]

1. Does a bear $hit in the woods?

[Jamastiene]

2. Did you see him muttering to himself during the SOTU?

I'm not sure about him at all.

[appal_jack]

30. Scam-y'all Scalito

The idea that he was ever anything besides a partisan hack is the biggest scam perpetrated on the American people of a decade filled with scams.

And some Democrats voted to confirm him. Hey Byrd, Conrad, Nelson, and Johnson: are you proud of this vote now?

http://www.c-span.org/congress/alito_senate.asp

A fucking filibuster would have never been more appropriate. Spineless Dems will reap what they sow.

-app

[inna]

31. He was "shaking his head in disagreement" and muttering to himself.

I heard on MSNBC today that this was a total breach of etiquette for a member of SCOTUS, because they are not supposed to react in any way, they just sit there with stone expressions and never clap or stand up or react in any way. What he did was as bad as Wilson's "You Lie!" outburst, considering that Alito is a Supreme Justice.

[gateley]

39. I heard that, too - and when they replayed it today, I wondered at how Ginsberg

and Sotomayor refrained from nodding their heads enthusiastically in agreement with Obama's statement. I wouldn't have been able to keep a poker face -- either during that statement, or during other parts of Obama's speech.

[inna]

45. LOL, I know, I thought the same thing!

I didn't see Ginsberg, but I noticed Sotomayor because she was sitting right next to Alito, completely expressionless.

Here's the video, btw, in case someone missed it: http://www.dailykos.com/tv/w/002512/

[Sanity Claws]

3. How does one get to watch the Supremes during an oral argument?

I don't plan to argue a case there any time in the near or distant future.

[spotbird]

6. Wait in line

There are two lines in front of the court when they are in session, one is to watch a whole argument, the other to go in and quietly watch for 5 minutes. The more notoriety the case, the longer the lines. The case I observed was about procedural rules, so there wasn't much interest, and the wait was only about 15 minutes. Naturally, the security is pretty intense.

[Bluerthanblue]

9. someone said in another thread, "he's used to being heard and not seen"

I think it's true.

He's clearly a rude man with little self-control.

[spotbird]

11. True, but all of them are

and the others can conduct themselves appropriately anyway.

[Sanity Claws]

12. Did he ever try a case?

I'll do some research on Alito.
Trial attorneys usually have a great deal of self-control and train their clients to look stoic. At least successful ones do.

[deaniac21]

36. Before he was a judge it looks like he may have tried a few cases

During 1976–1977 Alito was Law clerk for Leonard I. Garth of the Third Circuit.<9> During 1977–1981 Alito was Assistant United States Attorney, District of New Jersey. While serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, he prosecuted many cases that involved drug trafficking and organized crime.<12>

During 1981–1985 Alito was Assistant to Solicitor General Rex E. Lee. Alito argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court for the federal government during his tenure as assistant to the Solicitor General. During 1985–1987 Alito was Deputy Assistant to Attorney General Edwin Meese. In his 1985 application for Deputy Assistant to the Attorney General, Alito espoused conservative views, naming William F. Buckley, Jr., the National Review, Alexander Bickel, and Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign as major influences. He also expressed concern about Warren Court decisions in the areas of criminal procedure, the Establishment Clause, and reapportionment.<13>

During 1987–1990 Alito was United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey.

Court of Appeals judge
Nomination and confirmation
Alito was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on February 20, 1990 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, to a seat vacated by John Joseph Gibbons. Alito was rated by the American Bar Association as "Well Qualified" at the time of his nomination. He was confirmed by unanimous consent in the Senate on April 27, 1990,<14> and received his commission three days later. As a Third Circuit judge, his chambers were in Newark, New Jersey.<9>

[WileEcoyote]

28. Start an argument then go here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23UkIkwy5ZM

[arthritisR_US]

4. perhaps, but more than anything I thinks he's a run of the mill asshole. n/t

[butterfly77]

40. Nice name ...

[marmar]

5. He's human waste.....the lowest form of human life.

nt

[femrap]

59. He gives shit a

bad name.

[hlthe2b]

7. I got some really bad vibes from his whole confirmation debacle

My impressions only, but his wife and her incessant tears in defense of her husband gave off a battered wife vibe that I had trouble shaking. I think there is more than meets the eye with this guy, but I obviously can prove nothing.

Roberts just plain gives me the creeps. I always pegged him for a liar, given his body language on the stand during his confirmation hearing. There really should be some mechanism for dealing with the lies that become obvious once they are confirmed, as has clearly been the case with both Roberts and Alito.

[spotbird]

10. Yes. Great observation.

He reminds me of someone with dementia, who was a mean SOB before it hit.

[MARALE]

Yes! N/T

[WI_DEM]

8. short answer--yes.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. Early onset of Alzheimers?

...mumbling, grimacing and spinning around in his chair."

In the months before my dad was diagnosed he went through a period of 'odd' behavior. He could focus and seem normal, but in unguarded moments, when he wasn't TRYING to focus, he'd say bizarre things, make faces, and - as you said - act like a two year old, such as on his morning walk with Mom he'd suddenly jump up and walk along the top of a 2' high wall next to the sidewalk, reach the end of the wall, and jump down again and keep going as if that was something ALL 76 year old men did.

I hope for his sake this is not the case.
I hope for all our sakes that Obama gets to appoint his successor.

[spotbird]

15. That's my impression

There is something amiss.

As long he has a breath in his body, he'll remain on the court.

[shimmergal]

42. Adult attention deficit disorder?

at minimum, that would be my guess. But AADD is not disabling; it's fairly common among creative people; the most usual problem being they often take on more projects than they can finish. Uhh--I think I like the other speculations here more.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. Spinning around in his chair?

Maybe he needs ritalin?

[JBoy]

16. Sounds like something GWB would do.

[spotbird]

17. He sits at the end

He wouldn't spin it entirely around more like rocking and turning back and forth. Just like you'd expect a rather small child to act.

[lpbk2713]

18. Catch-22 ... He was appointed by BushCo.

:eyes:

[PDittie]

19. I think he's just another

angry white male TeaBagger. None of them are capable of demonstrating "judicial temperament" either.

[John1956PA]

20. Alito has a military background. He should have more discipline than he shows.

I can not figure out why Alito would let himself act so churlishly. His professional and life experiences would seem to dictate a better temperament than that. He was an editor of the Yale Law Review. He was an Assistant U. S. Attorney. He spent 18 years the Army Reserve and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain. When hearing cases, his questioning is civil. When he got on the high court, I had hoped that his right-wing views would moderate. Unfortunately, they have not. The recent Citizens United case, in which he agreed that enterprises, such as corporations, have the same rights to freedom of speech as individuals have, shows the outrageousness of his right-wing views. It may be that his early indoctrination to those views has caused irreversible closed-mindedness.

[theothersnippywshrub]

35. Captain seems like a very low rank for an attorney in for 18 years. n/t

[spotbird]

38. What would it be if he was good? nt

[theothersnippywshrub]

49. He would have entered as an officer. Eighteen years later he was a captain.

I wonder what his highest rank was and whether he was demoted. Or was he so bizarre that one rank was all he could make in 18 years.

[spotbird]

51. Why would he be demoted?

Is that public record anywhere?

[theothersnippywshrub]

53. I doubt there is any public record or it would have come out in his confirmation hearings.

But I think it is unusual for someone with a professional degree to receive only a promotion to Captain in 18 years.

[spotbird]

54. In your experience,

why/how would anyone be so unsuccessful?

[theothersnippywshrub]

55. Thousands of ways I imagine. The fundamental thing would be to convince

your commanding officer that you should not be promoted. I'm just surprised that someone with Alito's pedigree did not rise above the rank of Captain in 18 years.

[Pacifist Patriot]

57. Not for the Reserves if he was never called up.

[RaleighNCDUer]

58. It's the reserve - you know, the two weeks a year thing.

Considering the actual active time, it's not all that much. Less than two years active, out of that 18 years. That's not a whole lot of time in grade.

[concerned1]

52. Joe Wilson was an Army colonel

Didn't stop him from yelling

[Kingofalldems]

21. When I see Roberts/Alito I see that O'Keeffe guy

Sneaky and dishonest---with an agenda. I also think of someone else.:shrug:

[Octafish]

22. Interesting question. My best guess is ''Absolutely.''

It's based on what he believes, as revealed in his opinions and background.

Here's what I know, the guy likes to take the State's side in matters of life and death:

Know your BFEE: Alito is just another word for Mussolini

It's now OK to kill American citizens without trial -- overseas. How long before it's OK to do so at home? Thanks to Alito, we may find out sooner, rather than later.

[bridgit]

23. Mother's little Samuel was destined to become an arrogant, condescending *special* little boy

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. Does anyone remember Alito's mother when a reporter caught her in front of the house?

Didn't she say something like "Of course he is anti-abortion"?

She looked like a real piece of work too.


edit to add:
http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=9362
Alito's Mother Says It All
Rose Alito, the mother of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, told the Associated Press that "of course" her son is "against abortion." But you don’t need to get this from his mother. Reading between the lines, Alito has done the most he could do as an appellate judge who had to follow Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade to restrict abortion rights

[bridgit]

34. Yup, it would seem Alito is 'the hand that rocks the cradle' personified

[branders seine]

24. in a sense, all modern American 'conservatives' are insane.

It really should be recognized for the mental disease it is.

[spotbird]

25. Greenwald agrees

Justice Alito's flamboyantly insinuating himself into a pure political event, in a highly politicized manner, will only hasten that decline. On a night when both tradition and the Court's role dictate that he sit silent and inexpressive, he instead turned himself into a partisan sideshow -- a conservative Republican judge departing from protocol to openly criticize a Democratic President -- with Republicans predictably defending him and Democrats doing the opposite.


http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/01/28/alito/index.html

[whattheidonot]

26. enough.

Americans usually put up with a lot before they are motivated into action. This decision just might be that something. the power of corporations is already undermining social structures in parts of america. they are given sweetheart deals to move into areas because they are the few employers now. Then as an area begin to slide for lack of services the corporations complain of possible new taxes. At this point they have to fought. let them leave if they must. others will take their place and fit into an environment of a functioning community.

[Blue Owl]

27. Thanks GWB

for your brilliance in appointing Alito's crony ass to our Supreme Court.

[tomp]

56. with dem assistance. nt

[avaistheone1]

29. Yes.

Perhaps criminally insane.

[TexasObserver]

33. He's a nerd on a mission. He's a right wing nut job with a law degree.

He's less aware of history and law than Rehnquist was and Scalia is, however. He's the Brown Shirt version. They're the more upscale, SS version.

[omega minimo]

37. Did you watch his confirmation hearings? His ill behavior was evident then.

[MiniMe]

41. Well, he is partially right. Corps can't contribute to campaigns

They can however buy ads for the campaigns, or for issues that they want to lobby the public on. So campaign money from foreign companies can enter the campaign, just not directly. They obviously didn't think it all the way through. Big surprise.

[upi402]

43. and campaign contributions are just used to buy advertising

so it's equivalent in my opinion. Just more direct, actually.

[madamesilverspurs]

44. I think they DID think it all the way through.

Alito and Roberts owe their jobs to W because he owed his presidency, in part, to them. They continue to exercise the Bush trademark attitude that "the people" are too stupid to notice when we're being diddled. Beyond that Roberts/Scalia/Alito/Thomas simply don't give a damn about the people; their first allegiance has always been to those interests who stand to benefit from this recent decision.


---

[spotbird]

46. Bingo

Except that they're right, most people are too stupid to notice when they are being diddled.

[Lord Helmet]

47. It was really inappropriate and he should apologize to the pres.

[spotbird]

48. That won't happen. nt

[fascisthunter]

50. Extremists are insane