Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned Saturday that free speech on campuses and religious freedom in society as a whole are at risk.
“Troublesome times violate some of our most fundamental principles,” he said.
He made his remarks at a commencement ceremony at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, a Catholic institution.
“Support for free speech is dangerously declining, particularly where it should have the greatest acceptance,” he said.
A university, he said, should be “a place for reasoned debate.” But he added that “today, very few colleges live up to that ideal.”
The same applies, he said, to tolerance of religious views in society in general.
“Religious freedom is also at risk,” he said. “As you venture out into the world, you may find yourself in a job, community, or social environment where you are pressured to support ideas you don’t believe in or to abandon core beliefs. It’s up to you to stand firm.”
In other situations, Justice Alito has cited a specific example, complaining that people who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds are sometimes treated as bigots.
As the Supreme Court prepares to make major decisions in the coming weeks, including on a criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump, abortion, gun rights and social media, members of its conservative majority have gathered across the country to Her job is to make a variety of suggestions.
At a judicial conference Friday in Alabama, Judge Clarence Thomas expressed bitterness at being subjected to what he called “the meanness and the lies.” The judge has been criticized for receiving generous gifts and for not recusing himself from cases related to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, despite his wife’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
That same day, at a judicial conference in Texas, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh struck a sunnier tone, speaking of his commitment to neutral principles and the court’s efforts to find consensus.
These appearances were wide-ranging public conversations, whereas Justice Alito’s speech was short and general. But it was coupled with the judiciary’s characteristic pessimism.
“It’s tough out there,” he said. “And actually I think it’s rougher out there right now than it has been in quite some time.”
He received a lengthy standing ovation when a speaker introducing him noted that he had written the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the 2022 decision that overruled Roe v. Wade and the constitutional enshrinement therein abolished the right to abortion.
In his speech, Justice Alito said that respect for precedent is important in law and life.
“If you read almost any opinion from a court in this country, you will find that the text is full of citations to previous court decisions,” he said. “These decisions, which we call precedents, command great respect. They are not set in stone. Sometimes they need to be changed, but they should not be discarded lightly.”
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2024-05-11 15:55:42
www.nytimes.com
