I was one of the many lawyers at the luncheon presentation by Justice Alito. I disagree with almost all his written case opinions, but I have to admit he gave an interesting and entertaining speech.
The AP reports from Dallas that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito “came to the Supreme Court with two ideas about how he would conduct himself when questioning lawyers. He would try to ask real questions – ‘with a question mark at the end’ – and he would wait for the lawyer speaking to at least conclude a paragraph. Instead, he found himself playing what he called a ‘contact sport.’ ‘Trying to get in a question at oral argument is really like trying to grab an item that’s on sale at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving,’ Alito said Thursday at the State Bar of Texas’ annual meeting.” Alito “delivered a 40-minute speech in which he took a few gentle digs at some of his colleagues and the perception commentators and the public have of them.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.