Samuel Alito

Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. is a prominent American jurist, currently serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Born on April 1, 1950, he was nominated to the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and officially took his seat on January 31, 2006. Alito is recognized as the second Italian American to serve on the high court, following Antonin Scalia.

Raised in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, Alito pursued his education at Princeton University and Yale Law School. His legal career began as an assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel, and he later served as the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. In 1990, he was appointed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, a position he held until his elevation to the Supreme Court.

Alito is known for his judicial philosophy as a self-described 'practical originalist' and is a key member of the Supreme Court's conservative bloc. Throughout his tenure, he has authored majority opinions in several landmark cases, including McDonald v. Chicago in two thousand ten, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in two thousand fourteen, Janus v. AFSCME in two thousand eighteen, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in two thousand twenty-two, addressing critical issues such as firearm rights, insurance coverage, public-sector union security agreements, and abortion.