Reply #24: the term began to be used *in the public* during [View All]

[salin]

Alito's confirmation hearing, which was around the same time that the issue of the signing statements was becoming public - in which it the "authority" was being asserted.

Apparently while in the Reagan admin, Alito suggested the use of the signing statement where legislation left some "gray area" to serve as a 'marker of intent' to define the gray area, so that if/when the legislation ever appeared before the courts, the admin could 'help shape' the ruling rather than the courts solely trying to determine congressional intent behind the law.

However the use of the unprecidented use of signing statements by the Bush admin has been aggressive, egregious and seem to indicate much more than laying out a definition for interpretation for future courts. Instead this administration seems to be using signing statements as directives to the federal agencies of the executive branch as how to carry out the laws - including disregarding parts of the laws.