Philip Alito, Son Of Justice Alito: Where Is He Now?

Philip Alito, son of Justice Alito, recently left Gibson Dunn for a new job; where is he now?

Kids of Supreme Court justices: they’re just like us! They leave Biglaw after a few years for lower-paying but arguably more interesting jobs. Tony Mauro has this report in the National Law Journal:

Philip Alito, the son of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr., has left Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to become a staff counsel to Republicans on a U.S. Senate investigative subcommittee.

The younger Alito, who clerked for Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2012 and 2013, worked as an associate at Gibson Dunn from the fall of 2013 until February. Gibson Dunn’s Washington hiring partner, Thomas Dupree Jr., declined to comment on Alito’s departure except to say, “Phil left the firm to accept a position with Senator [Rob] Portman. We wish him the very best.”

And so do I. As longtime readers know, I have a special place in my heart for Phil Alito. But not everyone is sending warm wishes his way:

Alito’s move drew criticism from American Enterprise Institute scholar Norman Ornstein, who tracks Congress and U.S. politics. “For a court that is struggling for tangible reasons not to be viewed as partisan like every other institution in Washington, I wish it was not so,” Ornstein said.

Ornstein added, trying to inject some moderation into his remarks, “We shouldn’t condemn the children of public officials to a life of deep constraint.” But his view on Phil Alito’s move would do just that. I think Professor Ross Baker of Rutgers University, author of Strangers on a Hill: Congress and the Court (affiliate link), has a much more sensible take:

By this time, we ought to be a little more relaxed about people going into the family business. American politics long before the Bush dynasty and the Clintons has seen many sons and daughters (mostly sons) following their elders into public service.

See also Professor Amanda Frost, who told Tony Mauro that Phil Alito’s new job “seems less likely to create a conflict than when the justices’ sons and daughters work as appellate litigators at major law firms that regularly practice before the Supreme Court, as at least a few have.”

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Congratulations to Philip Alito on his new job. And if it’s not too late, can someone please nominate him in The Hill’s 50 Most Beautiful on Capitol Hill contest?

Justice Alito’s Son Quits Gibson Dunn for Capitol Hill Job [National Law Journal]
Son of Sam – Alito, that is – joins Senate staff [Legistorm]

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