Justice Samuel Alito sat down with CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford for
, including his future on the Supreme Court, his majority opinion in the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and the charged rhetoric of political leaders from both parties.
asserted
that → sit → parties
The rare interview came ahead of the release of Alito's first book, "So Ordered: An Originalist's View of the Constitution, the Court and Our Country," a collection of speeches that will be released Tuesday.
asserted
that → come → speeches
The high court could also decide to take up other legal battles involving Mr. Trump's policies, including his ban on transgender people in the military and attempt to effectively shut down asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
uncertain
court → decide → border
Alito, 76, marked his 20th year on the Supreme Court in January and has emerged as the leader of the court's conservative wing.
asserted
Alito → mark → wing
He may perhaps best be known today as the author of the
in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, in which the court ruled 5-4 to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that established the federal right to an abortion.
uncertain
that → know → abortion
In the Supreme Court's last term, Alito wrote the majority opinion that and weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
asserted
Alito → write → Act
During the Supreme Court's last term, there was much speculation about Alito's future as a justice and whether he would step down and allow Mr. Trump to nominate a successor while Republicans still control the Senate.
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Republicans → be → Senate
Alito was appointed to the high court by President George W. Bush, a Republican, and it is not unusual for justices to retire during the presidential administration of the same party as the one in office when they were named to the Supreme Court.
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they → appoint → Court
Alito told Crawford that he had considered retiring but ultimately opted to remain on the high court.
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he → tell → court
"I thought about it," he said.
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he → think → it
"It's something I think that somebody at my age has to think about every term.
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somebody → think → age
But I thought that I could still make a valuable contribution, which is why I became a justice and a judge in the first place.
uncertain
I → think → place
Pressed on the potential risks of remaining on the Supreme Court — namely, the possibility of a Democratic president filling his seat — Alito rejected the idea that presidential politics should play a role in that decision, saying it is too difficult to say what the political landscape will be.
"
asserted
landscape → press → decision
It's too hard to predict how, for anybody, and particularly when you reach a certain age, what your situation will be a year from now, two years from now, and so forth," he said.
asserted
he → predict → age
"And it's too hard to predict what the political situation will be and what any president might do with respect to a replacement."
uncertain
president → predict → replacement
The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who anchored the court's liberal wing, resisted calls to retire during President Barack Obama's administration and remained on the court
.
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who → anchor → court
Mr. Trump, then in his first term, appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy, expanding the Supreme Court's conservative majority to 6-3.Barrett
asserted
Trump → appoint → 6
would go on to join Alito in the majority in the 5-4 decision that ended the constitutional right to abortion.
asserted
that → go → abortion
Changes in rhetoric from political leaders
In recent terms, as the Supreme Court has waded into thorny issues like abortion, affirmative action, guns, presidential immunity and regulatory power, political leaders on both sides of the aisle have ratcheted up their criticisms of the high court and begun denouncing individual justices.
asserted
leaders → wad → justices
In 2020, as the Supreme Court convened to
involving a Louisiana law that required doctors providing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch during a rally outside the court: "I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price.
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you → convene → price
You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.
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you → know → decisions
"The comment prompted rare public pushback from Chief Justice John Roberts.
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comment → prompt → Roberts
Alito said the language from politicians on both sides of the aisle can be "quite damaging."
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language → say → aisle
"There's been a great change in what presidents have said about the court when they are unhappy about our decisions," he told Crawford.
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he → be → Crawford
"Traditionally, what presidents would say is, 'The Supreme Court, it's made its decision.
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it → say → decision
I disagree with it, but we have to abide by it.'
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we → disagree → it
That's what presidents said.
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presidents → say → what
That's what members of the Cabinet said.
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members → say → Cabinet
That has changed."
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That → change → ?
Mr. Trump has chastised the conservative justices who have ruled against him in cases involving some of his signature second-term policies, including his
and his .
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who → chastise → his
Last month, in a case on its emergency docket, the Supreme Court for mail ballots while legal proceedings continue.
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proceedings → continue → ballots
In each of those cases, Alito dissented.
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Alito → dissent → cases
The president
, who voted to strike down his sweeping tariffs, "fools and lapdogs for the RINO and the radical left Democrats."
asserted
who → vote → RINO
, Mr. Trump said of the three justices he appointed, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett, "these are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves."
asserted
they → say → selves
Alito said criticism of the court has been "a bipartisan effort."
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criticism → say → court
Pressed on Mr. Trump's language, specifically, the justice said, "He has his own way of saying things.
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He → press → things
But the criticism of the court — I mean, I wanna be even-handed on this.
asserted
I → mean → this
Mr. Trump, however, has praised Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas as "legends," and called Alito specifically "one of the greatest of all time."
But Alito resisted any suggestion that the justices are motivated by politics.
asserted
justices → praise → politics
"Well, we are not part of any political movement, and we are not attempting to further any political agenda," Alito said of the president's comments.
asserted
Alito → attempt → comments
"We are trying to interpret the Constitution as best we can and apply it in the cases that come before us."
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that → try → us
…and 48 more, not listed.
The Aporia
