Samuel Alito

Rule Changes

Lead dissenter in Supreme Court decision

The Supreme Court told President Trump he can't send National Guard troops to Illinois. The 6-3 decision on December 23 marks the first time the modern court has blocked a president from federalizing state Guard units over a governor's objections. Trump claimed protests at an ICE facility in suburban Chicago constituted a rebellion, and the court wasn't buying it.

Updated 2 hours ago

Rule Changes

Issued the May 12 stay extension

The Supreme Court has until Thursday at 5 p.m. ET to decide whether mifepristone can keep shipping by mail. Alito's stay, expiring May 14, is all that blocks a May 1 Fifth Circuit ruling that would end telehealth prescribing and mail delivery of the drug nationwide.

Updated 3 days ago

Rule Changes

Authored the 6-3 Callais majority limiting Section 2 to cases with a strong inference of intentional discrimination

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on April 29, 2026, in Louisiana v. Callais that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—the main federal tool minority voters have used for four decades to challenge racially discriminatory maps—now requires plaintiffs to prove intentional discrimination before courts can order a remedy. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion; Justice Elena Kagan dissented for the three liberal justices, writing that the ruling makes Section 2 'all but a dead letter' and marks 'the latest chapter in the majority's now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.' On May 4, the Court ordered its judgment to take effect immediately, bypassing the usual 25-day window for rehearing requests; on May 6, it denied civil rights plaintiffs' motion to recall the ruling, making the decision final and operative.

Updated May 7

Rule Changes

Wrote dissenting opinion joined by Roberts and Kavanaugh

For nearly four decades, military contractors have enjoyed broad immunity from injured service members' lawsuits under a doctrine extending the federal government's battlefield protections to its private partners. On April 22, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the shield has limits: when the government doesn't order or authorize the conduct that caused the injury, the contractor is on its own.

Updated Apr 23

Rule Changes

Recused due to ConocoPhillips/Burlington Resources stock holdings

A Louisiana jury ordered Chevron to pay $745 million in April 2025 for wrecking coastal wetlands through decades of oil drilling. Now the Supreme Court will decide if that verdict stands—or if Chevron can escape to federal court by claiming it was acting under federal orders when it refined aviation fuel during World War II. The catch: the lawsuit concerns oil production, not refining, and much of the damage happened decades after the war ended.

Updated Jan 14

Rule Changes

Author of Shelby County decision; conservative majority member in Louisiana v. Callais

The Supreme Court is one decision away from gutting what remains of the Voting Rights Act. A pending ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could eliminate at least 15 House seats currently held by Black members of Congress—the largest-ever single decline in Black representation. The case turns on whether states can consider race when drawing districts to prevent vote dilution, with the Court's conservative majority signaling they view such efforts as unconstitutional discrimination against white voters.

Updated Jan 10