Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned about rhetoric against the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, including from President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News Sunday.
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Alito → warn → News
Alito appeared to promote his new book So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of the Constitution, the Court, and Our Country.
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Alito → appear → Constitution
Host Shannon Bream asked about politicians, including Trump attacking the court, as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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Bream → ask → Schumer
Bream asked if he worried about public figures making comments about the court factors into his mind.
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figures → ask → mind
“I put all of that out of my mind,” he said.
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he → put → mind
“I trust that my colleagues put all of that out of their minds, but I am concerned about the escalation in public rhetoric in general, and about the things that people in important positions say about the Supreme Court as a whole and about individual justices.
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people → trust → justices
I'm concerned about the long-term effect of that on the standing of the court.”
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I → concern → court
Trump has increasingly criticized Alito’s fellow associate justices, including Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, all of whom Trump nominated in his first term.
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Trump → criticize → term
“I gave them the position of a lifetime,” Trump told TIME magazine, but added, “and they voted against me often.”
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they → give → me
In recent months, the Supreme Court has ruled against Trump in major cases, including changing the definition of birthright citizenship and his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
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Court → rule → citizenship
But the Supreme Court has also faced criticism from the left, particularly as some Democrats call for term limits, age limits, or expanding the number of justices on the court.
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Democrats → face → court
Alito said it does not factor into his colleagues’ minds.
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it → say → minds
“There has been a concerted effort to intimidate the court and justices on the court to try to influence us to decide cases differently from the way in which we have been deciding them, and I am concerned about the future of the court,” he said.
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he → intimidate → court
“It has not always done the right thing, but I think, on the whole, it has been fundamental in protecting our constitutional structure and the rights that all Americans enjoy.”
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Americans → do → that
Other justices have detailed the risks that they face as they serve on the court.
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they → detail → court
In July, Justice Amy Coney Barrett testified before Congress about the increase in threats against her and the fact that she has to wear a bulletproof vest.
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she → testify → vest
Barrett said she would later have to explain the vest to her 12-year-old son.
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she → say → son
At the same time, Alito said that being on the court is a privilege.
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being → say → court
“We didn't have to agree to be appointed,” Alito said.
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Alito → have → ?
“We don't have to remain.
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We → have → ?
We can always quit.”
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We → quit → ?
President George W. Bush nominated Alito to the Supreme Court in 2005 to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and the Senate confirmed him after a drawn-out process in 2006.
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Senate → nominate → 2006
Some thought he would retire this summer to give Trump time to nominate a replacement and the Senate time to confirm a replacement.
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he → think → replacement
But Alito said he was not moved by other people’s sentiments when it comes to his decision to stay on the court.
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it → say → court
“I don't have a calculation for it,” he said.
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he → have → it
“I'm grateful for every day when I wake up.
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I → wake → day
And I'm still here, and grateful for every day when I wake up, and I'm still able to do the job.
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I → wake → job
I think it would be foolhardy to, you know, make a calculation.
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you → think → calculation
I'm going to serve for a certain number of additional years.”
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I → go → years
The Aporia
