Alito Mischaracterizes Key Reproductive Rights Case

Today, under questioning from Senator Dick Durbin, Samuel Alito testified that stare decisis – respect for precedent – was "the beginning and the ending point of the analysis in the joint opinion" in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey that reaffirmed the central holding of Roe v. Wade. This is false. Alito further testified that Roe was different from other cases that he was willing to say were correctly decided, because the other cases were decided based on constitutional rights found in the 14th Amendment. Alito’s answer is telling – he did not endorse the holding of the U.S. Supreme Court, that a woman’s right to choose is also grounded in the 14th Amendment, clearly leaving himself room to vote to overturn Roe without being inconsistent with his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.