Several leaders of Hispanic organizations expressed opposition Thursday to the likely Senate confirmation of Samuel Alito as a Supreme Court justice, predicting his accession to the bench would erode civil rights and advances made by Hispanics in the United States.
During a press conference, the leaders said their opposition to Alito was due to analysis of his 15-year record as a federal judge, and to the fact that, in their opinion, he has been hostile to the interests of minorities.
Alito "is not the best person" for the Hispanic community and his judicial record shows that, said Gabriela Lemus, director of policy and legislation for the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Lemus added that the opposition to Alito "is not personal," saying that no one questions his credentials nor his educational background or intellectual acumen.
But she noted that the Supreme Court has the final voice on matters such as abortion, labor and voting rights, and can decide the fate of affirmative action programs that benefit women and minorities.
The Hispanic leaders said Alito's presence would signify a rightward shift on the nation's highest court and that his views would put laws that protect individual rights in the United States in jeopardy.
Most of the Hispanic organizations also expressed concern over the fact that Alito, as a member of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals since 1990, has ruled in several cases against foreigners seeking political asylum.
Alito, while working in President Ronald Reagan's Justice Department, also wrote in a 1986 memorandum that the Constitution granted illegal immigrants just minimal protections against discrimination.
According to Peter Zamora, an attorney with the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Alito has established a record showing he puts the interests of large corporations ahead of individual rights.
For his part, Leon Rodriguez, of the group Hispanics for a Just Judicial System, warned that if Alito is confirmed to the Supreme Court, the nation's judicial system will no longer serve as a shield to protect minority communities as it has over the past 50 years.
Meanwhile, Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez, president of the Hispanic Federation, and Jesse Rios, executive director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, criticized Alito's record on labor and immigration issues.
But there are also representatives of the Hispanic community - both advocacy groups and Hispanic members of the Republican Party - that have spoken out in support of Alito's confirmation, including Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Florida) on Wednesday.
Opposition from the Hispanic community to Alito comes as the Senate Judiciary Committee - consisting of 10 Republicans and eight Democrats - prepares to vote Tuesday on whether or not to approve the conservative judge's nomination and move it to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.
President George W. Bush nominated Alito, 55, to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, considered a voice of moderation on the nation's highest court.
Those who back Alito say his credentials are impeccable and that his detractors have misinterpreted his rulings and judicial opinions.
Analysts, meanwhile, generally agree that the Republicans' overall majority in the Senate should ensure Alito's confirmation, noting that nothing has occurred in the hearings thus far to seriously damage his bid for a seat on the Supreme Court.
