[JURIST] The effort by Democratic Senators John Kerry (D-MA) [official website; Friday floor speech], Edward Kennedy (D-MA) [official website] and others to attempt a last-minute filibuster [JURIST report] blocking the US Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito [JURIST news archive] has been met with opposition from fellow Senate Democrats who fear the strategy might backfire and adversely affect Democratic candidates in the upcoming 2006 elections. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) [official website] and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) [official website] both openly oppose Alito's confirmation but are reported to have privately discouraged filibustering the nomination. GOP Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has scheduled cloture vote [Senate backgrounder] to end debate on the Alito nomination Monday; assuming a filibuster is waived or fails, a final vote on Alito will likely occur Tuesday, with approval by a majority of Senators all but assured. AP has more.