Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement

Justice Samuel Alito is the most emblematic figure of the conservative legal movement. His career, more than that of any predecessor, was boosted at every juncture by a cadre of like-minded supporters. Being conservative was his most powerful credential. His values, like those of many of his current Supreme Court colleagues, emerged from a combination of family, faith, and fundamental disagreement with the social changes of the 1960s. His awakening began during his turbulent years at Princeton, when social changes roiled the campus and the Vietnam War sparked furious protests. Six decades later, the backlash continues.