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Specter: Give Alito a fair hearing

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says Judge Samuel Alito should be given a fair hearing on his nomination to the Supreme Court.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he is unsure which way he will vote on Alito's nomination, the New York Times reported. But he said he expects "a very learned, very experienced jurist" to appear before the committee in January.

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Specter is one of the few pro-choice Republicans in the Senate. He and Alito spent a few hours together Friday in a private meeting suggested by the White House.

Describing his job as providing a level playing field for the nominee, Specter said he does not expect to make a final decision on his own vote until after he hears Alito's answers to questions.

Specter said Alito told him he considers the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs. Wade to be embedded in the culture, and therefore difficult to set aside, the Times reported.

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