Samuel Alito - Wikipedia

Need him to stick around. A sensible voice

Thank you, my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that April 1 is the anniversary of the birth of U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. who was nominated by President George W. Bush an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and has served in that capacity since January 31, 2006.
Happy 69th birthday Samuel Anthony Alito Jr.
Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. is an associate supreme court justice who has demonstrated wisdom time and time again IMHO. I hope he served many decades on the U.S. Supreme Court

Lives in the Law | Associate Justice Samuel Alito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kjZMAtY9ws

Background from ballotpedia.org/Samuel_Alito
Samuel Alito
Supreme Court of the United States
Tenure Present officeholder
Education Bachelor's Princeton University, 1972
Law Yale Law School, 1975

Samuel A. Alito, Jr. is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated to the Court by President George W. Bush (R) to fill the seat left vacant by Sandra Day O'Connor on October 31, 2015. He was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in on January 31, 2006.
Alito began his legal career by clerking for Leonard Garth on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey and an assistant to the U.S. solicitor general. President Ronald Reagan (R) appointed him U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey in 1987.[1]
He was nominated by President George H.W. Bush (R) and confirmed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in 1990, where he remained until his nomination to the Supreme Court.
Alito’s notable opinions include his dissenting opinion in Snyder v. Phelps on whether the Westboro Baptist Church could picket a military funeral; his majority opinion in the Second Amendment case McDonald v. City of Chicago; and his majority opinion in the anti-harassment and free speech case Saxe v. State College Area School District.
Approach to the law
Alito is widely considered to have a conservative philosophy.[2][3] In January 2016, The Atlantic said of Alito, "it appears there's no one to the right of Alito on the current Court."[4]
Early life and education
Alito earned his A.B. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1972. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1975.[5]
While at Yale, Alito was the chairman and main developer of a conference that produced a report called "The Boundaries of Privacy in American Society" in 1972. The extensive report issued opinions on many aspects of privacy. Alito, as the chairman, authored the following:
“ We believe the potential for invasions of privacy through the use of computers is so great that all private computer systems should be licensed by the federal government. We propose the creation of a federal regulatory agency to supervise the licensing of systems and the enforcement of all federal regulations. We suggest the agency be staffed by career civil servants and that they be appointed to serve fixed terms. It is our hope that these measures would greatly hinder undue influence by interest groups. Any suspension of a license by the agency could be appealed to a District Court.[6][7]
”
In the same report, on laws concerning homosexuality, he wrote:
“ The Conference voted to recommend that the current sodomy laws be changed. The Conference believes that no private sexual act between consenting adults should be forbidden. Of course, acts of a coercive nature, acts involving minors, and acts which offend public decency should still be banned. Discrimination against homosexuals in hiring should be forbidden.[6][7]
”
Alito was also an editor for the Yale Law Journal.[8]
Military service
Alito was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War on December 1, 1969. He was able to defer his service while enrolled in college.[9] While at Princeton, he joined the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) so that he could enter active service as an officer after college. Alito was commissioned as a second lieutenant after his graduation from Princeton, but he deferred his service a second time as he entered Yale Law School. After graduation from law school, he served three months of active service from September to December of 1975. Alito served in the Army Reserve from 1972 until 1980, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of captain.[10]
Professional career
• 2006 - Present: Associate justice, Supreme Court of the United States
• 1990-2006: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
• 1987-1990: United States Attorney, District of New Jersey
• 1985-1987: Deputy assistant attorney general, United States Department of Justice
• 1981-1985: Assistant to the United States Solicitor General, United States Department of Justice
• 1977-1981: Assistant U.S. attorney, District of New Jersey
• 1976-1977: Law clerk, Hon. Leonard Garth, United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit[5]
Judicial career
United States Supreme Court
On October 31, 2005, Alito was the third person to be nominated by President George W. Bush to the vacancy that was created when Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court of the United States. The first was John Roberts, who was nominated to be Chief Justice after William Rehnquist passed away. The second was Harriet Miers, who withdrew her nomination after facing opposition. Alito was confirmed on January 31, 2006, on a Senate vote of 58-42. Shortly after the vote, Alito was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts.[11][12]
Third Circuit Court of Appeals
Alito was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit on February 20, 1990. He filled the vacancy created by John Gibbons, who passed away on January 15, 1990. Alito was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on April 27, 1990, and received commission on April 30, 1990. Alito served on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals until his confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States. Alito's vacancy on the Third Circuit was filled by Joseph Greenaway.[5]
Supreme Court of the United States
Noteworthy cases
Westboro Baptist Church picketing case (2011)
See also: Supreme Court of the United States (Snyder v. Phelps et al., 562 U.S. 443 (2011))

In 2011, Samuel Alito was the lone dissenter in a case that involved the Westboro Baptist Church picketing the military funeral of the son of Albert Snyder. While the court's majority affirmed the Fourth Circuit's ruling in favor of Westboro Baptist Church allowing them to picket a funeral so long as it fell within the defined rules of a legal protest. In dissent, Alito stated,
“ Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case.[16][7]
”
He went on to say that the Westboro Baptist Church publicized the funeral, depriving Snyder of his basic right to bury his son in peace. Alito made it clear that the church has every right to make their positions known in any form of communication, but:
“ It does not follow, however, that they may intentionally inflict severe emotional injury on private persons at a time of intense emotional sensitivity by launching vicious verbal attacks that make no contribution to public debate.[16][7]
”
He found that the Westboro Baptist Church acted to cause intentional infliction of emotional distress, pointing several times to the way that the church specifically verbally addressed the Snyder family and not broader topics.[17]
Second Amendment ruling in Heller extended to states (2010)
See also: Supreme Court of the United States (McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010))

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the District's handgun ban violated the Second Amendment. Local laws in Washington, D.C., however, are subject to the authority of the federal government, which left open the question of whether the Second Amendment applied to state governments. Pursuant to the court's opinion in Heller, lawsuits were filed against similar handgun bans in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois. The question for the court was whether the 14th Amendment made the Second Amendment binding on state governments as well. Writing for a five-justice majority, Justice Samuel Alito adopted the Heller rationale in holding that the right to self-defense under the Second Amendment was a fundamental right under the Constitution and was entitled to protection against encroachment by state governments.[18]
Noteworthy cases - Third Circuit Court of Appeals
Anti-harassment policy impedes free speech (2001)
See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit (David Warren Saxe v. State College Area School District; Constance Martin, 99-cv-01757)

In 2001, Samuel Alito wrote the ruling in a case that involved the State College Area School District and a group of students who argued that an anti-harassment policy impeded their free speech to voice that homosexuality is a sin. In the ruling, Alito wrote that the district's anti-harassment policy was too broad, in violation of the federal guidelines for discriminatory speech. Alito stated that the problem did not reside in the intent of the policy to protect the learning environment, but instead the problem was in the District's attempt to define harassment as any unwelcome verbal, written, or physical contact which offends. The court found that definition of harassment allowed too much interpretation of what is considered offensive. The court struck down the lower court's ruling, stating that its logic was flawed in upholding the school district's policy to be constitutional.[19]
Pennsylvania abortion law upheld in part (1992)
See also: United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit (PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, et al. v. ROBERT P. CASEY, et al., 947 F.2d 682, 60 USLW 2276)

Samuel Alito was part of a three-judge panel that heard an appeal of a Pennsylvania law that required recipients of abortions to hear about the detriments of abortions, inform their husbands about the abortion, required minors to notify parents and receive consent, wait 24 hours before an abortion, and imposed reporting mandates on facilities that provided abortions. The majority of the panel ruled that the law did not pose undue burden, barring the spousal notification. The majority ruled that contacting the possible father posed an unconstitutional burden to the woman. Alito dissented on the spousal notification, stating the plaintiffs offered no substantial evidence that women seeking an abortion would be forced to provide proof of notification outside of a verbal affirmation.[20]
The Supreme Court of the United States affirmed the Third Circuit's majority opinion in part, ruling that the spousal notification was unconstitutional. The court stated that even if the law only affects one percent of women seeking an abortion, that the father's interest in the fetus does not trump the liberties afforded to the woman.[21]
Recent news
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Footnotes
1. Jump up↑ Oyez, "Samuel A. Alito, Jr.," accessed February 1, 2019
2. Jump up↑ CNN, "Alito's record shows conservative judge," October 31, 2005
3. Jump up↑ PBS, "Supreme Court nominee Alito's judicial views," December 28, 2005
4. Jump up↑ The Atlantic, "None to the Right of Samuel Alito," January 30, 2016
5. ↑ Jump up to:5.0 5.1 5.2 Federal Judicial Center, "Alito, Samuel A. Jr." from the Federal Judicial Center, accessed January 21, 2014
6. ↑ Jump up to:6.0 6.1 Epic.org, "Conference on the Boundaries of Privacy in American Society," Page 3, January 4, 1972
7. ↑ Jump up to:7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
8. Jump up↑ PBS, "Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr.," accessed January 3, 2014
9. Jump up↑ Selective Service System, "RESULTS FROM LOTTERY DRAWING - Vietnam Era 1970," accessed January 3, 2014
10. Jump up↑ Washington Post, "Alito joined ROTC while at Princeton," November 3, 2005
11. Jump up↑ New York Times, "Alito sworn in as justice after senate gives approval," February 1, 2006
12. Jump up↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Oaths of office taken by the current court," accessed September 3, 2013
13. Jump up↑ Cornell University, "WRITINGS BY JUSTICE ALITO," accessed January 21, 2014
14. Jump up↑ SCOTUSBlog, "Final Stat Pack for October Term 2016 and key takeaways," accessed April 16, 2018
15. Jump up↑ SCOTUSBlog, "Final Stat Pack for October Term 2017 and key takeaways," accessed October 4, 2018
16. ↑ Jump up to:16.0 16.1 Bloomberg Law, "Snyder v. Phelps, 131 S. Ct. 1207, 179 L. Ed. 2d 172, 2011 ILRC 1405, 39 Med. L. Rptr. 1353 (2011)," accessed January 22, 2014
17. Jump up↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Albert Snyder v. Fred W. Phelps Sr. et al., March 2, 2011
18. Jump up↑ Supreme Court of the United States, McDonald v. City of Chicago, June 28, 2010
19. Jump up↑ U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, David Warren Saxe v. State College Area School District; Constance Martin, accessed January 22, 2014
20. Jump up↑ U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania et al. v. Robert P. Casey, et al. accessed January 22, 2014
21. Jump up↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey,accessed January 22, 2014

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S good judge