[JURIST] Tuesday's confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito [JURIST news archive] as the 110th justice of the Supreme Court of the United States has predictably prompted mixed reactions. President Bush congratulated Alito [text] in a statement, once again calling him "a brilliant and fair-minded judge who strictly interprets the Constitution and laws and does not legislate from the bench" and concluding that "...he will make all Americans proud as a Justice on our highest court." A spokesperson for the conservative Family Research Council [advocacy website] hailed the Alito appointment a turning point, putting America on "a course true to our founders' intent." Progressive groups were disappointed, however. The executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) [advocacy website] called the Senate vote "a political appointment railroaded through under extreme protest." Taking an environmental perspective, Earthjustice [official website] said Alito's appointment poses an immediate threat to the protection of America's drinking water, creeks, streams and wetlands. AP has more.