A Sober Judge

From the Editors of National Review Online:

Alito's record and his testimony in the first days of the hearings suggest that he is, as advertised, a cautious, intelligent, and conservative jurist. He does not disdain the idea that judges can promote justice, but firmly believes that the way they do so is by following the law. He believes that precedent creates a "general presumption" but not an "inexorable command." He understands that particular cases may compel attention to foreign laws, but that foreign law is an unlikely source for illumination about the meaning of American constitutional provisions. He is right on all counts, and he ought to be confirmed.