It was the first time in his 36 year Senate career, that he's spoken out from the floor on a Supreme Court decision.
Leahy more or less accused Alito of lying in his confirmation hearing. And he compared the decision in Citizens United v FEC to the decision in Bush v Gore.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, ripped the Supreme Court's decision to allow corporations to buy political ads attacking candidates, calling it the "most partisan decision since Bush v. Gore."
"A thin majority of the Supreme Court, made possible by President Bush’s appointment of Justice [Samuel] Alito, has thrown out important parts of the law and run roughshod over a long line of longstanding Court precedent," Leahy said. "This is the most partisan decision since Bush v. Gore. That decision by the activist conservative bloc on the Supreme Court intervened in a presidential election. This decision is broader and more damaging in that they have now decided to intervene in all elections."
Alito made headlines in Wednesday night’s State of the Union address for mouthing the words "not true" when President Barack Obama criticized the Supreme Court decision.
Leahy attacked Alito for saying in his confirmation hearings that he believed in balancing Congress' intent with the Supreme Court's power. "In his confirmation hearing, Justice Alito — I might say under oath — testified that the role of the Supreme Court is a limited role. ... It has to be equally vigilant of not overstepping the bounds and invading the authority of Congress. That was then, when he was seeking confirmation. This is now."
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