Alito probe is a bust

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A bipartisan group of Senate lawyers did not find any mention of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. in four boxes of materials from a Princeton alumni group Democrats have dubbed racist and misogynistic in confirmation hearings.

The search dealt a blow to some of the final Democratic opposition to Judge Alito, spearheaded by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat. He demanded the papers be subpoenaed from the Library of Congress before the hearings resumed this morning.

"Judge Alito's name never appeared in any document," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, who secured access to the documents without a subpoena. Democrats have questioned Judge Alito's commitment to civil rights and equality for women because he said he belonged to the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) on a 1985 job application.

Democrats say the group is racist and anti-woman for its opposition to co-education at Princeton University and essays that appeared in its magazine, Prospect. Judge Alito disavowed the magazine and said he doesn't recall ever associating with the group. He said he assumes he must have joined the group because it also objected to the expulsion of the ROTC program from Princeton's campus.

The CAP records contained cancelled checks for subscriptions to the group's magazine, but none from Judge Alito. It also contained lists of board directors and contributors.

"The files contain minutes and attendance records from CAP meetings in 1983 and 1984, just before Samuel Alito listed the organization on his job application, but Samuel Alito did not attend any of those meetings," Mr. Specter said. "He's not even mentioned in the minutes."