Alito Reflects on Scalia’s Legacy in Recent Interview

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently expressed in an interview that he often feels the absence of his late colleague, Justice Antonin Scalia.

Alito shared, “Things have changed a lot since Nino passed away. I often wish he was still here. He started a lot of things, and I wish he was there to see them through to completion.”

Scalia, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, served on the Supreme Court from 1986 until his death in 2016.

In discussing their shared perspectives, Alito noted that Scalia’s family had mixed feelings about his passing. One of Scalia’s children remarked that they were grateful their father did not have to witness various distressing events, which Alito concurred, adding, “He would have been appalled to hear something like this.”

Alito’s reflections are particularly relevant in the context of the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling on abortion rights. He stated, “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each state from regulating or banning abortion… We now reverse those decisions and return that power to the people and their elected representatives.”

When asked about the influence of Scalia on the 2022 ruling, Alito acknowledged it, saying, “Yes, definitely because it was my effort to write an originalist opinion… I think I learned from the model of [District of Columbia v.] Heller,” a notable case in which Scalia penned the opinion.

He reflected on the possibility that his writing style may have been shaped by Scalia’s influence, stating, “I don’t know if Nino wrote it or not. Especially. I am pleased to think that he could have written it differently. And the language may have been influenced by him to some extent.”

Alito, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush in 2006, continues to engage with the complex legacy of his predecessor as he navigates contemporary legal challenges.