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Alito nomination approved

Suzanne Goldenberg

Washington: U.S. President George W. Bush was a step closer to his goal of tilting the Supreme Court further to the right on abortion and other issues on Tuesday after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the nomination of conservative judge Samuel Alito.

Amid a bitter debate, the committee agreed to recommend Mr. Alito's confirmation by the Senate as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

A vote on his nomination is expected by the end of the week, the Republican committee chairman, Arlen Specter, said.

If confirmed, Mr. Alito (55), a U.S. court of appeals judge since 1990, will replace the retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is widely viewed as a centrist.

The court had been delicately balanced on issues such as the extent of presidential power, affirmative action and abortion. All eight Democrats on the committee voted against his nomination. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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