Samuel Alito

Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. was born on April 1, 1950, and has served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 2006, nominated by President George W. Bush. He is, after Antonin Scalia, the second Italian American justice to serve on the Court. Before his appointment he worked as an assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel, served as United States attorney for the District of New Jersey, and sat as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1990 onward. Describing himself as a practical originalist and a member of the Courts conservative bloc, he has written the majority opinions in landmark cases including McDonald v. Chicago on firearm rights, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby on insurance coverage, and Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.