Alito defended domestic wiretaps; Supreme Court nominee wrote memo while working for Reagan.(Main)

Byline: DONNA CASSATA Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito defended the right of government officials to order domestic wiretaps for national security when he worked at the Reagan Justice Department, an echo of President Bush's rationale for spying on U.S. residents in the war on terror.

Then an assistant to the solicitor general, Alito wrote a 1984 memo that provided insights on his views of government powers and legal recourse - seen now through the prism of Bush's actions - and clues to the judge's understanding of how the Supreme Court operates.

The National Archives released the memo and scores of other documents …