President George W. Bush has nominated Samuel A. Alito Jr. '75 to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Alito has served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit since 1990.
Alito was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and attended Princeton University before coming to YLS. While at Yale Law School, Alito was an editor of The Yale Law Journal.
YLS Dean Harold Hongju Koh made the following statement: "It is always a great honor for our School when the President nominates one of our graduates for such an important post. Since leaving Yale, Judge Alito has certainly been a dedicated public servant, while working in a series of challenging government jobs. Although I have not gotten to know the judge personally, a number of my colleagues on the Yale Law faculty remember him with fondness and respect."
Alito went on to clerk for Judge Leonard Garth of the Third Circuit and then served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the appellate division. In 1981 he was named Assistant to the Solicitor General and argued 12 cases on behalf of the federal government in the U.S. Supreme Court.
From 1985 to 1987, Alito worked in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice. He was next appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and prosecuted white collar and environmental crimes, drug trafficking, organized crime, and violations of civil rights. After he was appointed to the federal judiciary by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, Alito was confirmed by a unanimous voice vote in the U.S. Senate.
Said President Bush in announcing Alito's nomination: "As a Justice Department official, federal prosecutor, and judge on the United States Court of Appeals, Sam Alito has shown a mastery of the law, a deep commitment of justice, and he is a man of enormous character. He's scholarly, fair-minded, and principled, and these qualities will serve our nation well on the highest court of the land."
If confirmed, Alito will join fellow YLS graduate Clarence Thomas '74 on the U.S. Supreme Court. Four other YLS graduates have served on the Supreme Court:
Sherman Minton, Class of 1917 LLM, served on the court 1949-56
Abe Fortas, Class of 1933, served on the court 1965-69
Potter Stewart, Class of 1941, served on the court 1958-81
Byron White, Class of 1946, served on the court 1962-93