The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's Richard Land Comments On the Nomination of Judge Samuel Alito

NASHVILLE -- After the recent nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States, Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, commented on President Bush's decision.

"The President has once again fulfilled his campaign promise to nominate to our nation's federal judiciary strict constructionist, original intent jurists of the first rank," he says. "In nominating Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor and to be our nation's 110th Supreme Court Justice, President Bush has underscored his commitment to the promises he made in both the 2000 and 2004 Presidential campaigns.

"Colleagues who have worked with Judge Alito describe him as 'brilliant,' 'fair' and 'tough,'" Land adds. "He should receive a full and fair hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a timely fashion, and he should receive an up or down vote by the full Senate by the end of the year."

About The Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention is America's largest non-Catholic denomination with more than 16.3 million members in 43,024 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBC's ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. Log on to www.faithandfamily.com for more information, or call 615.244.2495.