Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. (born April 1, 1950, in Trenton, New Jersey) is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, appointed in 2006. He is the son of Italian immigrant parents, Samuel A. Alito Sr. and Rose Fadusco Alito. Alito grew up in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, after his father became director of the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services. He earned an A.B. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School in 1972 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1975, where he served as an editor on the Yale Law Journal. His legal career includes clerking for Judge Leonard I. Garth on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1976–1977), serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey (1977–1981), working in the U.S. Department of Justice (1981–1985), and serving as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey (1985–1990). He was appointed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1990, serving until his Supreme Court nomination by President George W. Bush in 2005. After a contentious confirmation process, he was confirmed by the Senate 58-42 and sworn in on January 31, 2006, succeeding Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Alito is the second Italian American Supreme Court justice after Antonin Scalia. He married Martha-Ann Bomgardner in 1985, and they have two children, Philip and Laura. Known for his conservative judicial philosophy emphasizing originalism and textualism, Alito has authored significant opinions on abortion, religious liberty, and gun rights. His tenure has been marked by controversies, including criticism over flags displayed at his properties linked to political events.