Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. will soon become Justice Alito at a swearing-in ceremony later today. Through a 58-42 vote, Alito became the next Supreme Court justice, replacing Sandra Day O'Connor. Democrats attempted a filibuster of Alito yesterday, but a bipartisan (!) vote ended it. Some Democrats voted to end the filibuster with the rationale that Alito was going to be confirmed, anyway, and the Senate has more pressing matters to attend to.

The Bush administration has fulfilled its promise to its Evangelical Protestant constitutents: it has moved the Supreme Court rightward. Additionally, any cases that Sandra Day O'Connor may have heard in oral arguments, but have not yet had opinions released, may need to be re-argued. O'Connor's vote no longer counts in cases where an opinion has not yet been issued.

Goodie.