a new justice confirmed -- and has anything changed?

The Senate confirmed Samuel Alito to his seat on the U.S. Supreme Court by a 58-42 vote. ...And has anything really changed? Chief Justice John Roberts may be considerably less favorable to overturning Roe v. Wade than his predecessor, the indefatigable William Rehnquist. Justice Alito may be considerably more willing to overturn the landmark abortion ruling than his predecessor, Sandra Day O'Connor. In case you're not keeping track, that means that there may have been little, if any, philosophical change on the court as of yesterday evening.

One thing is certain -- there has been no cataclysmic legal sea change on the high court. Senators Kennedy and Kerry of Massachusetts, whose gallant attempt to lead the Democrats into a filibuster was considered ridiculous even by their own party leaders, tried to convince Americans that civil rights as we know them will vanish with Alito on the Supreme Court.

Rights are endangered -- but not by Sam Alito.

Justice Alito will now have the opportunity of sitting beside Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the high court's most extreme left-wing judicial activist. One can only imagine the conversations they will have. On a positive note, Justice Antonin Scalia will have the honor of a seat next to Chief Justice Roberts.

Has anything really changed?

"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you." II Chronicles 20:6