Alito Played Integral Role In Devising Legal Strategy To Pare Back Roe v. Wade..

Associated Press DAVID ESPO November 30, 2005 at 10:50 PM

As a young government lawyer opposed to abortion rights, Samuel Alito argued for a strategy of chipping away at the landmark Supreme Court 1973 ruling legalizing abortion rather than mounting an all-out assault likely to inflict a defeat on the Reagan administration, according to documents released Wednesday.

"No one seriously believes that the court is about to overrule Roe v. Wade," the current Supreme Court nominee wrote in an internal Justice Department memo on May 30, 1985. Referring to a high court decision to review two abortion-related cases at the time, he asked, "What can be made of this opportunity to advance the goals of bringing about the eventual overruling ... and in the meantime, of mitigating its effects."

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