OPINION:
Those of us who have been involved in cultural issues over the past six decades know that each time a precious seat opens on the Supreme Court, we need to do as Bette Davis’ character Margo Channing famously urged in “All About Eve”: “Fasten your seat belts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
In 2005, while I was serving in the White House, I saw firsthand how bumpy that ride can be when Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who had become the court’s classic “swing vote,” stepped down to care for her husband, who was rapidly declining.
At the same time, the highly esteemed Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was entering his final days on earth.
President George W. Bush nominated the current chief justice, John G. Roberts Jr., to fill O’Connor’s seat. During his bruising confirmation battle, Rehnquist died, and the president elevated Mr. Roberts to the chief justice position.
That meant another nomination had to be made to replace O’Connor, and the president chose his White House counsel, Harriet Miers.
Because of several factors chronicled elsewhere, Ms. Miers, a friend of mine, eventually had to withdraw her nomination. It was after that when Mr. Bush elevated Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the nation’s highest court.
Because he had a conservative record on social issues, Justice Alito was immediately attacked by every major far-left group, which hoped to sink his nomination in the courtroom of public opinion.
Yet as Americans slowly learned about him, they found a man with whom they had much in common: a first-generation American whose father was an Italian immigrant. Mr. Alito rose from a humble, working-class background to be nominated to the highest court in the land.
The confirmation battle over Justice Alito made the one over Chief Justice Roberts seem like a pillow fight, but he persevered and, by a slim margin, was seated in January 2006.
On two occasions, I spent a good amount of time getting to know the new justice, and I found him inspiring and civil, never putting on airs. I also saw how his faith and family were the guiding stars in his life.
Now, a little more than 20 years later, my friend Mollie Hemingway has written a book, “Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution.” It is a fitting tribute to the hardworking, humble man raised on the streets of Hamilton Township, New Jersey.
Mollie, as she did before in her wonderful book about Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, writes at length about Justice Alito’s common sense, intellectual rigor and lengthy prosecutorial experience. They resulted in his becoming among the most unassuming but perhaps also one of the most influential justices ever, eventually authoring Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and overturning Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton.
In addition to Dobbs, Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which preserved the right of closely held family businesses to not be forced to provide coverage for abortion-inducing drugs in their health insurance plans.
With succinctness and clarity, Mollie traces Justice Alito’s history from his early days through his time at Princeton University and Yale Law School, his service as a U.S. attorney, and his time as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That was his last step before his elevation to the Supreme Court.
Along the way, Mollie chronicles Justice Alito’s firm commitment to originalism, interpreting the Constitution as written, rather than, as many liberal jurists do, trying to reinterpret it into the manner in which they wish it had been written.
It is a fascinating read. Mollie details every bruising battle and personal attack upon Justice Alito, who has always responded with great aplomb and grace to those who have opposed him, while standing firm and unwavering on his judicial philosophy and beliefs.
Indeed, Mollie has written a fitting tribute to this great jurist and the impact he has made on the Supreme Court and American society. I give it my highest recommendation to anyone who wants to be inspired by the story of a humble, working-class boy who grew up to become one of the most important figures in American jurisprudence history.
• Timothy S. Goeglein is the vice president of government and external relations at Focus on the Family and the co-author of a new book, “What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family” (Fidelis, 2026).
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Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution
Basic Liberty, $32, 352 pages
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