Meet the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: Samuel Alito

Early Life and Education

Samuel Alito was born on April 1, 1950, in Trenton, New Jersey. He is the son of Italian immigrants and grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Alito attended Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1972. He then attended Yale Law School, where he earned a Juris Doctor in 1975.

Legal Career

After graduating from law school, Alito clerked for Judge Leonard Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He then worked as a lawyer in private practice and served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Alito to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He served on that court for 15 years, during which time he wrote numerous opinions on a wide range of legal issues.

Supreme Court Justice

In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Alito to the Supreme Court. He was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 58-42 and took his seat on January 31, 2006.

Alito is considered a conservative jurist and often votes with the other conservative justices on the court. He has written several important opinions, including the majority opinion in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which held that closely held corporations can object to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate on religious grounds.

Alito is a controversial figure, and his opinions have been criticized by both liberals and conservatives. However, he is a respected jurist, and his opinions are likely to continue to have a significant impact on American law for years to come.