A very encouraging sign in this piece:
According to at least one former Alito clerk, Nora Demleitner, he is not the rabid conservative he’s so far been made out to be. Demleitner cites Alito’s majority decision in the 1993 case Fatin v. INS, in which Alito held that an Iranian woman could be granted asylum if she could show that complying with her country’s “gender specific laws and repressive social norms” would be deeply abhorrent to her.
“To this day, it remains one of the most progressive opinions in asylum law on gender-based persecution,” says Demleitner.
Just one more piece of evidence. I have to say that after a day of digesting Alito’s record and rulings, I’m inclined toward him. He’s obviously qualified, he has the right temperament, and his support of states’ rights and the First Amendment are appealing. We should all wait for the hearings before we make up our minds. But I cannot say I’m deeply alarmed, even though I’m sure I would have disagreements with him on some issues. My advice to my liberal friends who would prefer a different kind of justice is a simple one: win a frigging election, guys. (Hat tip: Volokh).
The Dish 