Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito got his first taste of questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as day two of the hearings kicked off.

The committee's chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, began the questioning by asking Alito whether the Constitution protects the rights to privacy. Questions about abortion rights and presidential powers are among the key questons of the day.

The senior Democrat on the committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, started off his questioning by asking Alito about recent revalations regarding surveillance of Americans.