Samuel Alito facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Samuel Alito
Official portrait, 2007
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Incumbent
Assumed office January 31, 2006
Nominated by	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Sandra Day O'Connor
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office April 30, 1990 – January 31, 2006
Nominated by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	John Joseph Gibbons
Succeeded by	Joseph A. Greenaway Jr.
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
In office December 10, 1987 – April 30, 1990
Nominated by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Thomas Greelish
Succeeded by	Michael Chertoff
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel
In office 1985–1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Personal details
Born	Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. (1950-04-01) April 1, 1950 (age 75) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Spouse	Martha-Ann Bomgardner ​ (m. 1985)​
Children	2
Education	Princeton University (BA) Yale University (JD)
Awards	Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2017)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army (1972) United States Army Reserve (1972–1980)
Rank	Captain
Unit	Army Signal Corps
Battles/wars	Vietnam War

Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. (/əˈliːtoʊ/ ə-LEE-toh; born April 1, 1950) is an American judge. He serves as an associate justice on the highest court in the United States. President George W. Bush chose him for this role on October 31, 2005. Justice Alito has been serving on the Supreme Court since January 31, 2006. He is the second Italian American justice to join the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alito grew up in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. He studied at Princeton University and Yale Law School. After law school, he worked as a lawyer for the government. He was an assistant attorney general and later the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. In 1990, Alito became a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He served there until he joined the Supreme Court. He describes his legal approach as "practical originalism." He is part of the Supreme Court's group of conservative judges.

Early Life and School

Samuel Alito was born in Trenton, New Jersey. His father, Samuel A. Alito Sr., was an immigrant from Italy. His mother, Rose Fradusco, was Italian-American. His father was a high school teacher. He later became the first director of the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services. His mother was also a schoolteacher.

Alito grew up in Hamilton Township, a town near Trenton. He went to Steinert High School. He graduated in 1968 as the best student in his class. After high school, he went to Princeton University. In 1972, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors.

At Princeton, Alito was interested in privacy issues. He led a student conference about privacy in American society. He also led the debate team. He joined Stevenson Hall instead of the university's eating clubs.

In 1969, Alito joined the Army ROTC program. This was during the Vietnam War. He became a second lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve in 1972. He served on active duty for a few months in 1975. He was promoted to captain. He was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve in 1980.

Alito was influenced by a course on constitutional law at Princeton. During his last year, he studied in Italy. He wrote his thesis on the Italian legal system. In his yearbook, he wrote that he hoped to "eventually warm a seat on the Supreme Court."

After Princeton, Alito attended Yale Law School. He was an editor for the Yale Law Journal. He earned his law degree in 1975.

Early Legal Career

After law school, Alito worked for Judge Leonard I. Garth in New Jersey. This was from 1976 to 1977. From 1977 to 1981, he was an Assistant United States Attorney. He worked in the District of New Jersey.

From 1981 to 1985, Alito worked for the U.S. Solicitor General. In this role, he argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court. He won most of these cases for the government.

From 1985 to 1987, Alito was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General. He worked in the Office of Legal Counsel.

From 1987 to 1990, Alito was the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He was in charge of federal legal cases in New Jersey. During this time, he hired Michael Chertoff as his chief deputy.

Alito is a member of the Federalist Society. This group is made up of lawyers and law students. They are interested in conservative legal ideas.

Court of Appeals Judge

Becoming a Judge

Judges Leonard I. Garth and Maryanne Trump Barry suggested Alito for a judgeship. President George H. W. Bush nominated him on February 20, 1990. He was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The American Bar Association rated Alito as "Well Qualified." This means he had excellent professional skills. The Senate approved his nomination on April 27, 1990. He became a judge three days later. His office was in Newark, New Jersey.

U.S. Supreme Court

How He Joined the Court

With President George W. Bush looking on, Alito acknowledges his nomination.

On July 1, 2005, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement. President George W. Bush first nominated John Roberts to fill her spot. But when Chief Justice William Rehnquist passed away, Bush nominated Roberts to be Chief Justice instead. On October 3, Bush nominated Harriet Miers for O'Connor's seat. She later withdrew her nomination.

On October 31, Bush announced he was nominating Alito for O'Connor's seat. He sent the nomination to the Senate on November 10. The American Bar Association again rated Alito "well qualified."

Alito's confirmation hearing was held from January 9 to 13, 2006. During the hearing, Alito answered about 700 questions. He spoke for 18 hours. He said he would be a fair judge. He also said he would act as an impartial referee.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) opposed Alito's nomination. This was only the fourth time the ACLU had opposed a Supreme Court nominee. The ACLU said Alito's past record showed he might support government actions that limit individual freedoms.

Alito ceremonially sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts the day after his confirmation, February 1, 2006.

The Senate debated Alito's nomination. On January 31, 2006, the Senate confirmed Alito by a vote of 58–42. He was sworn in as an associate justice later that day. He became the 110th justice. He was the second Italian-American justice. He was also the 11th Catholic justice in the Court's history.

His Time on the Court

Alito delivered his first Supreme Court opinion on May 1, 2006. It was in the case of Holmes v. South Carolina. He wrote for a unanimous court. They ordered a new trial for Bobby Lee Holmes. This was because a state rule unfairly limited evidence.

In his first term, Alito often voted with the conservative judges. He joined Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas.

In 2013, experts called Alito "one of the most conservative justices on the Court." However, his voting record is not always the same as other conservative justices. For example, in 2006, he voted with the majority to refuse Missouri's request to allow an execution. Justices Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas voted differently.

In 2008, Alito wrote the majority opinion in Gomez-Perez v. Potter. This case helped federal workers who faced unfair treatment after reporting age discrimination. He sided with the more liberal judges in this case.

Alito has written dissenting opinions in important cases. In 2015, he dissented in Obergefell v. Hodges. This case made same-sex marriage legal nationwide. In 2020, he dissented in Bostock v. Clayton County. This case said that job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal.

In November 2020, Alito spoke about the COVID-19 pandemic. He criticized what he called a "loss of individual liberties." He said the pandemic was a "Constitutional stress test."

Alito calls himself a "practical originalist." This means he tries to interpret the Constitution based on its original meaning. He is seen as one of the Court's "most conservative justices."

Free Speech Cases

Alito has sometimes disagreed with other conservative judges on free speech cases. One such case was Snyder v. Phelps in 2011. This case involved members of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting a military funeral. Alito was the only judge who disagreed with the majority. He believed the protesters' actions caused severe emotional distress. He thought this should be an exception to free speech protections.

Personal Life

Martha-Ann Alito (second from left) in 2006

In 1985, Alito married Martha-Ann Bomgardner. She was a law librarian. They have two adult children, Laura and Philip. Martha-Ann stopped working to raise their children. The family lived in West Caldwell, New Jersey, before Alito joined the Supreme Court. They now live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Since 2022, Alito has been the only military veteran on the Supreme Court. He is a big fan of baseball. He especially likes the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillie Phanatic, their mascot, even attended his Supreme Court welcome dinner.

Teaching

Alito was a professor at Seton Hall University School of Law. He taught there from 1999 to 2004. He taught courses on constitutional law and on terrorism and civil liberties. In 1995, he received an award from the school. In 2007, he gave the commencement speech and received an honorary law degree.

He also taught as a visiting professor at Duke University School of Law. He taught courses there in 2011 and 2012.

Ethical Questions

Questions About Gifts

In June 2023, a news report raised questions about Alito. It focused on a trip he took with a billionaire businessman. The report suggested Alito might have broken a law. This law requires judges to report most gifts. The report also said he should have avoided cases involving the businessman.

Before the report was published, Alito wrote an article. He said the report's claims were wrong. He argued that he did not need to report private plane travel for social trips. This was because of a rule about "personal hospitality." His decision to publish his response early was unusual.

The report led some members of Congress to ask for new ethics rules for the Supreme Court. A Senate committee suggested creating a code of ethics for the Court. Alito later wrote that Congress does not have the power to regulate the Supreme Court. This led to more debate among lawmakers.

Images for kids

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  Samuel Alito's signature

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  Seal of the United States Army Reserve

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  Insignia for a Captain in the U.S. Army

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  Coat of Arms for the U.S. Army Signal Corps

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  Ribbon for the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

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  Alito swearing in Mark Esper as the United States Secretary of Defense in 2019.