[JURIST] Christian conservatives on Sunday rallied in support of US Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito [official profile; JURIST news archive] and called for reforms to the federal judiciary, during Justice Sunday III [advocacy website; FRC press release]. The rally, sponsored by the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family [advocacy websites], was organized to protest recent federal court decisions on the separation of church and state, including the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky [opinion] prohibiting the display of the Ten Commandments at a Kentucky courthouse. Rev. Jerry Falwell said that if Alito were confirmed to the Supreme Court it would be the biggest victory for Christian conservatives in thirty years. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) told those attending the rally at a Philadelphia church that liberal judges are "destroying traditional morality, creating a new moral code and prohibiting any dissent" and that confirming Alito and other "honorable jurists" is "the only way to restore this republic our founders envisioned." Santorum criticized Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee [AP report], who he said were "poised to drag these hearings into the gutter." The committee's confirmation hearings on the Alito nomination begin Monday at 12:00 PM ET. AP has more.

Previously in JURIST's Paper Chase...

• US conservative Christian leaders hold rally, blast 'activist' judges
• Frist urges judicial respect at conservative Christian anti-filibuster event