Samuel Alito

Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. (/əˈliːtoʊ/; born April 1, 1950) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006.

Raised in Hamilton Township, New Jersey and educated at Princeton University and Yale Law School, Alito served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit before joining the Supreme Court. He is the 110th justice, the second Italian American and the eleventh Roman Catholic to serve on the court. Alito is considered "one of the most conservative justices on the Court". He has been described by the Cato Institute as a conservative jurist with a libertarian streak.

Early life and education

Alito was born in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Samuel A. Alito, Sr., an Italian immigrant, and the former Rose Fradusco, an Italian American. Alito's father, now deceased, was a high school teacher and then became the first Director of the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services, a position he held from 1952 to 1984. Alito's mother is a retired schoolteacher.