Here’s an in-depth look at the life of US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Personal:
Birth date: April 1, 1950
Birthplace: Trenton, New Jersey
Birth name: Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr.
Father: Samuel Alito, a teacher
Mother: Rose (Fradusco) Alito, a teacher
Marriage: Martha-Ann (Bomgardner) Alito (1985-present)
Children: Philip and Laura
Education: Princeton University, AB, 1972; Yale University, JD, 1975
Other Facts:
Nicknamed “Scalito” as his views resemble those of conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Argued 12 cases before the US Supreme Court, the first in 1982.
Timeline:
1976-1977 – Law clerk to Hon. Leonard I. Garth, judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
1977-1981 – Assistant US Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
1981-1985 – Assistant to the US Solicitor General.
1985-1987 – Deputy Assistant to the US Attorney General.
1987-1990 – Named by President Ronald Reagan as the US Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
February 20, 1990 – Nominated by President George H. W. Bush to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
April 27, 1990 – Confirmed unanimously by the Senate on a voice vote.
April 30, 1990-2006 – Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Newark, New Jersey.
1991 – Is the only dissenting voice in a 3rd Circuit ruling striking down a Pennsylvania law that required women to notify their husbands if they planned to get an abortion. Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 947 F.2d 682 (3d Cir. 1991)
1993 – Agrees with the majority that an Iranian woman seeking asylum could establish eligibility by showing that she has an abhorrence with her country’s “gender specific laws and repressive social norms,” or because of a belief in feminism or membership in a feminist group. Fatin v. INS, 12 F.3d 1233 (3d Cir. 1993)
1999 – Writes the opinion in a case that says a Christmas display on city property does not violate separation of church and state doctrines because it included a large plastic Santa Claus as well as a Menorah and a banner hailing diversity. ACLU v. Schundler, 168 F.3d 92 (3d Cir. 1999)
2001 – Agrees with the majority that strikes down a public school district’s anti-harassment policy, saying the policy–which included non-vulgar, non-school-sponsored speech–violated the First Amendment. Saxe v. State College Area School District, 240 F.3d 200 (3d Cir. 2001)
October 31, 2005 – President George W. Bush nominates Alito to be Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s replacement on the Supreme Court.
January 31, 2006 – Alito is confirmed as an associate justice to the US Supreme Court. The US Senate votes 58-42. He is immediately sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.
February 1, 2006 – Sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice a second time in a ceremony at the White House. He replaces Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
May 29, 2007 – Writes the majority opinion in the pay discrimination case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Inc., 421 F.3d 1169 (11th Cir. 2005). In a 5-4 ruling, the court says that employees claiming unequal pay must file a complaint within 180 days of the first unequal paycheck.
January 28, 2010 – During an annual State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, Alito is seen mouthing the words “not true” after a comment by Obama, which discussed a US Supreme Court ruling and its effect on corporate contributions during elections.
March 2, 2011 – Alito is the sole dissenter in the free speech case involving Westboro Baptist Church, stating that “free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case.”
June 25, 2013 – Writes the majority opinion in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl where the question is can an unwed non-custodial parent block an adoption using the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The court ruled, 5-4, in favor of the adoptive parents ruling that the ICWA did not apply when the parent had never had physical or legal custody of the child.
June 30, 2014 – Writes the majority opinion in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, with the court ruling 5-4 that family-owned corporations can be exempt from a federal mandate requiring the inclusion of contraception coverage in employee health plans based on religious objections.
