Nominated by George W. Bush
Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
Associate Justice since Jan 31, 2006
Circuits:Fifth CircuitThird Circuit
Born
Apr 1, 1950
Birthplace
Trenton, New Jersey
Took seat
Jan 31, 2006
Authored opinions
74
Majority votes
110
Recusals
4
Biography
was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on April 1, 1950. He married Martha-Ann Bomgardner in 1985, and has two children - Philip and Laura. He served as a law clerk for Leonard I. Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1976–1977. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1977–1981, as Assistant to the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1981–1985, as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1985–1987, and as U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey, 1987–1990. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1990. President George W. Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat January 31, 2006.
Oral argument analytics
How Alito shows up at oral argument.
Speaking time
3h 21m
October Term 2025 · Rank #4
Questions asked
552
11.5/case · 48 cases
Speaking pace
152 wpm
30,519 total words
Engagement
335
interruptions · 0 first questioner
Term-by-term
| Term | Time | Questions | WPM | Cases | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October Term 2025 | 3h 21m | 552 | 152 | 48 | #4 |
| October Term 2024 | 3h 27m | 561 | 155 | 58 | #5 |
Recent oral argument activity
Notable quotes and analysis from recent arguments.
“Plea agreements have some attributes of a contract, but they're not just -- they're not like ordinary contracts. And the -- imposing the entire law of contracts here seems to me rather open‑ended.”
Authored opinions
DissentMar 25, 2026
Fugitive-Tolling Doctrine Does Not Automatically Extend Supervised Release Terms
ConcurrenceFeb 25, 2026
Upholds Limited Ban on Discussing a Defendant's Testimony During Overnight Recess
Opinion of the CourtJan 20, 2026
Court Confirms Time Limit Applies to Motions to Vacate Void Judgments Under Rule 60(b)(4)
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(c)(1)’s reasonable-time limit applies to a motion alleging that a judgment is void under Rule 60(b)(4).
Recusals
Took no partJun 18, 2025
EPA Must Be Sued in Regional Court Over Disapproval of State Ozone Plans
Took no partJun 18, 2025
Who Can Sue Over EPA Rejection of a State Air-Quality Plan? Supreme Court Limits Review Venue
Took no partDec 10, 2020
Says Military Rape Prosecutions from 1986–2006 Were Timely Under the UCMJ
Took no partDec 10, 2020
Military Rape-Prosecution Time Limit Ruled Not Applicable to 1986–2006 Offenses
Recent votes
majorityMar 31, 2026
Colorado Conversion-Therapy Ban Violates Free Speech as Applied to Christian Counselor
majorityJun 30, 2022
Blocks EPA’s 2015 Clean Power Plan Power-Plant Limits
majorityJun 24, 2022
Overrules Roe and Casey, Letting States Regulate Abortion (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health)
majorityJul 1, 2021
Narrows Federal Review of Arizona Voting Rules in Brnovich v. DNC
majorityJul 1, 2021