Alito Thank-You To Dobson Raises Criticism

Just a month into his tenure on the U.S. Spreme Court, Justice Samuel Alito yesterday found himself embroiled in a controversy over a thank-you note he recently wrote.Alito responded to a letter of congratulations from Christian conservative Dr. James C. Dobson, with a note described by law professor Stephen Gillers as "inartful" and "clumsy". (New York Times article.) The full text of the letter is carried by the Colorado Springs Gazette. It reads in part:

This is just a short note to express my heartfelt thanks to you and the entire staff of Focus on the Family for your help and support during the past few challenging months.... As I said when I spoke at my formal investiture at the White House last week, the prayers of so many people from around the country were a palpable and powerful force. As long as I serve on the Supreme Court I will keep in mind the trust that has been placed in me. I hope that we’ll have the opportunity to meet personally at some point in the future.

Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State strongly criticized Alito's note, saying, "Justice Alito should follow the commands of the Constitution, not the orders of Dobson and the Religious Right." Reviewing the tempest on the blog Politcal Cortex, James Clarkson comments "what is missed in all the commentary so far is that Alito expressed a desire to meet with Dobson. Even if it is true that he sent out a number of thank you letters and that it was routine, does he also want to meet with these supporters?"