The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a letter to the editor today from Sen. John Cornyn (R.-Tex.) in response to a Post-Gazette op-ed by Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean that attack Samuel Alito.
"America has the greatest deliberative democracy on Earth, but our system of government works well only when those within it at least try to be honest with the American people. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's Jan. 5 op-ed piece ('Alito Fails the Test') on Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. fails even that low bar.
"Mr. Dean impugned Judge Alito's integrity by claiming that he failed to recuse himself in a case involving the Vanguard company because he owned shares in some of Vanguard's mutual funds. Mr. Dean said that 'Judge Alito complained vigorously' when the chief judge on the Third Circuit 'vacated Judge Alito's decision and assigned the case to another panel.'
"This assertion is demonstrably false. The only reason the chief judge reassigned the case is because Judge Alito wrote him a letter asking him to do so. Judge Alito explained that his participation in the case was in perfect accordance with ethical rules, but that his policy was to go beyond the rules and recuse himself when a party to a case asked him to do so."
You can read the rest of Cornyn's letter on the Post-Gazette's website.
