WASHINGTON, DC —Senator Susan Collins today issued the following statement announcing that she will vote in favor of the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to serve as the 110th justice of the United States Supreme Court.
“I have decided to vote in favor of Judge Samuel Alito to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The decision of whether to confirm a nominee to the Supreme Court is a solemn responsibility of the Senate and one that I approach with the utmost care.
“Judge Alito has excellent legal qualifications and, after extensive review by the American Bar Association, he received its highest possible recommendation.
“Perhaps the most compelling testimony during his confirmation hearing came from seven of Judge Alito's colleagues on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. These judges, holding views ranging across the political spectrum, have worked closely with Judge Alito during his 15 years on the bench, and they are uniquely qualified to know how he thinks, reasons, and approaches the law. It is significant that they were unanimous in their praise of his legal skills, his integrity, his evenhandedness, and his dedication to precedent and the rule of law.
“Based on the record before me, I believe Judge Alito will be a justice who will exercise his judicial duties guided not by personal views, but based on what the facts, the law, and the Constitution command.”