Integrity. Prudent. Cautious.
These are three of the words used by his peers to describe Samuel Alito prior to his nomination to the Supreme Court.
Justice Alito is a product of the East Coast. He was born in New Jersey, educated at Yale, and served in several positions within this geographical area. He’s also the son of teachers, a characteristic he shares with others on the court.
He was nominated to the court by President George W. Bush and took his seat early in 2006. His opinions and dissents fall on the conservative side of the issues of today.
The media coverage of Justice Alito is unflattering. All but the official biographical sketches dwell on brief breaches of manners — the sort of whispered word or facial expression that would be ignored by a non-judicial official.
It will be interesting if he happens to write any of the opinions of the major cases currently before the court. Then the public will have more actual thoughtful words to shape their own attitude.