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No Filibuster over Alito

The United States Senate has voted to end debate on the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. A late campaign, led by a bloc of Senate Democrats, attempted to block the confirmation of Alito, yet failed in a floor vote of 72-25. The failure of such a filibuster paves the way for a straight up-or-down vote on President George W. Bush`s latest Supreme Court nominee.

According to Senators, at least a solid majority of 57 will vote to confirm Alito to the high court, and once debate is ended his confirmation is almost guaranteed. Alito is Bush`s third candidate to fill a seat on the Supreme Court, John Roberts was confirmed last year after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and Justice Sandra Day O`Connor`s retirement announcement spurred the current round of confirmation hearings and votes.

Harriet Miers, a close friend of the president, was rejected out of hand last year to fill O`Connor`s seat. Justice O`Connor`s retirement does not take effect until her replacement is confirmed. One of the dissenting Senators on Alito, former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, said the rejection of the filibuster gives "the extreme right wing unbelievable public cause for celebration. That just about tells you what you need to know. The vote today was on whether or not we would take a stand against ideological court-packing."