I took a very similar course with John Yoo when he was visiting at Chicago. I'd say much the same things about Yoo's performance in that course (eg, he didn't come across as having an agenda to push certain conclusions, he was receptive to a variety of different positions, and generally seemed most interested in just encouraging us to think about the deep issues involved).

Obviously, the similarity to my experiences with Yoo doesn't mean that Alito shares Yoo's personal views on these issues. I also don't mean to suggest that Yoo was in any sense being dishonest (indeed, one can be receptive to other views and still come to strong conclusions). But I note all this just to suggest that how one conducts a seminar does not necessarily tell you much about that person's own views.

Alito is clearly a highly intelligent and thoughtful individual. I am not surprised that he enjoys thinking and teaching.

I am more than a little uneasy, though, with the notion that "there is little guidance in the Constitution or case law for where executive power ends and civil liberties begin in times of national emergency."