On October 31, 2005, Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. was nominated by President Bush to the Supreme Court--to fill a vacancy after Sandra Day O'Connor stepped down--and, after a long series of hearings, was confirmed by a vote of 58-42 by the U.S. Senate on January 31, 2006. Alito's confirmation before the final vote received a great deal of press coverage. The liberal-biased media claimed Alito promulgated "right wing fanaticism," and right-wing editors shot back. …