Alito motivated by anti-Warren Court feelings

The Washington Times has this notable article discussing a 1985 document from the pen of Sam Alito when applying for a deputy assistant job under Attorney General Ed Meese.  Ann Althouse has this great post quoting the highlights and noting the potential impact of Alito's many strong conservative sentiments in the document.  Though Alito's 1985 comments about social issues like abortion and affirmative action will surely garner the most attention, his criminal justice statements draw are also notable.

In the document, Alito states that he believes "very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government, the need for a strong defense and effective law enforcement."  He also explains that "[i]n college, I developed a deep interest in constitutional law, motivated in large part by disagreement with Warren Court decisions, particularly in the areas of criminal procedure, the Establishment Clause, and reapportionment."

Though many will likely debate whether and how Alito's views may have evolved since he wrote these words 20 years ago, it is also critical to keep in mind that the criminal justice system and the impact of the Warren Court's criminal procedure decisions have evolved over the past two decades.  For more insight on these matters, be sure to check out the latest issue of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law and its symposium entitled "The Warren Court Criminal Justice Revolution: Reflections a Generation Later."  In that symposium, there are terrific articles from Professors Yale Kamisar, Morgan Cloud, Richard Frase, Tracey Meares, Donald Dripps and George Thomas III.