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Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement
The first-ever biography of the most pivotal Justice on the Supreme Court whose decisions, like the overturning of Roe, will drive the reshaping of America, by prize-winning journalist Peter Canellos.
When the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the landmark case overturning Roe v. Wade, it marked a turning point in the lives of millions of Americans. It was also the culmination of a decades-long movement whose grievances were embodied by the man who wrote the court’s Samuel Anthony Alito Jr.
Steely in his demeanor, with an impassive appearance that defies changing fashions, Alito could be the family lawyer in a 1960s television drama. But when he talks there is an emotional undercurrent, a fast-flowing stream beneath a placid surface. This is a man driven to push boundaries and mold ideas. His aim is to right the wrongs of the past six decades, as he saw them. He was the prized son of an Italian-born father and a mother whose parents emigrated from Italy shortly before her birth, worked their way into the middle class despite anti-Catholic prejudice and humiliating setbacks like evictions, and exacting big achievement demands of their children. But his family’s values came under attack during the sixties and later when Alito was at Princeton as the Vietnam war raged, women demanded equality, and their brand of patriotism was devalued.
The Federalist Society provided a safe space for Alito and those like him, and he moved fast up the judicial ladder to eventually land on the Supreme Court. There he has been aggressive in pushing the law in new, conservative directions—from pushing for expanding rights for the religious conservatives, overturning affirmative action, expanding the right to bear arms to thwart gun controls, and reducing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. And finally—most crucial to his legacy—he was the author of Dobbs v. Jackson, bringing the conservative legal movement full circle in overruling Roe v. Wade. His ethnic and religious background, his intellectual confidence, and his unyielding determination are all illustrative of a group of white men who, beset by grievance, embarked on a decades-long mission to change the rules that govern society.
When the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the landmark case overturning Roe v. Wade, it marked a turning point in the lives of millions of Americans. It was also the culmination of a decades-long movement whose grievances were embodied by the man who wrote the court’s Samuel Anthony Alito Jr.
Steely in his demeanor, with an impassive appearance that defies changing fashions, Alito could be the family lawyer in a 1960s television drama. But when he talks there is an emotional undercurrent, a fast-flowing stream beneath a placid surface. This is a man driven to push boundaries and mold ideas. His aim is to right the wrongs of the past six decades, as he saw them. He was the prized son of an Italian-born father and a mother whose parents emigrated from Italy shortly before her birth, worked their way into the middle class despite anti-Catholic prejudice and humiliating setbacks like evictions, and exacting big achievement demands of their children. But his family’s values came under attack during the sixties and later when Alito was at Princeton as the Vietnam war raged, women demanded equality, and their brand of patriotism was devalued.
The Federalist Society provided a safe space for Alito and those like him, and he moved fast up the judicial ladder to eventually land on the Supreme Court. There he has been aggressive in pushing the law in new, conservative directions—from pushing for expanding rights for the religious conservatives, overturning affirmative action, expanding the right to bear arms to thwart gun controls, and reducing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. And finally—most crucial to his legacy—he was the author of Dobbs v. Jackson, bringing the conservative legal movement full circle in overruling Roe v. Wade. His ethnic and religious background, his intellectual confidence, and his unyielding determination are all illustrative of a group of white men who, beset by grievance, embarked on a decades-long mission to change the rules that govern society.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 3, 2026
Revenge for the Sixties is a very timely biography of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, coupled with the rise of the Federalist Society and the conservative movement that has transpired over the past fifty years. There is a lot to unpack in this new book, and will keep the reader engaged.
The biography portion of the book begins with Alito's grandparents, proud Italian immigrants who made it to America and worked hard to get established in their new country. The family was devout Catholic, and the hard work ethic and religious values made a lasting impression on Sam's mother and father as well as Alito and his siblings. The family was middle class, but not wealthy, and worked hard in their vocations.
Alito was a good student and eventually made his way to Princeton to study law. It was at Princeton where Alito was introduced to the growing Federalist Society, at that time a small but growing organization exasperated with the liberal court interpretations of the 1960s and all the turmoil involving the Vietnam War, women's and civil rights, the sexual revolution, and the battles that would only get larger over abortion. Alito's roots which already were conservative in nature began to evolve onto a stauncher level.
The book really picks up as Alito joins the Court and joins his conservative partners Antonio Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The bitter Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas are highlighted, and their influence on Alito and his own nomination. In the 2000s the Court would undergo a dramatic shift. When Judge Ginsburg lost a long batter with cancer, Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell refused to bring Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the floor, outraging liberals.
Follow that a few months later by the upset election of Donald Trump in 2016 over Hillary Clinton. Trump's dramatic victory would forever change the Court as he was able to secure (with McConnel's help) three new appointments to the Supreme Court--all conservatives, all Catholics, and all members of the Federalist Society. The end result a 6-3 majority for conservatives and the "revenge" part of the book title.
The last part of the book is capped by the Dobbs decision that reversed decades of implied stere decisis with Roe versus Wade, sending decisions about abortions to the state and removing any constitutionally implied right to abortion at the national level. Alito authored this landmark decision, with repercussions still being felt.
Overall, I like the book. and give it 4/5 stars. The author's bias (in my opinion) shines through at the end in that he disagrees with a lot of Alito's decisions and the conservative majority.
I want to thank Simon and Schuster, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this new work which is highly recommended.
The biography portion of the book begins with Alito's grandparents, proud Italian immigrants who made it to America and worked hard to get established in their new country. The family was devout Catholic, and the hard work ethic and religious values made a lasting impression on Sam's mother and father as well as Alito and his siblings. The family was middle class, but not wealthy, and worked hard in their vocations.
Alito was a good student and eventually made his way to Princeton to study law. It was at Princeton where Alito was introduced to the growing Federalist Society, at that time a small but growing organization exasperated with the liberal court interpretations of the 1960s and all the turmoil involving the Vietnam War, women's and civil rights, the sexual revolution, and the battles that would only get larger over abortion. Alito's roots which already were conservative in nature began to evolve onto a stauncher level.
The book really picks up as Alito joins the Court and joins his conservative partners Antonio Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The bitter Supreme Court nominations of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas are highlighted, and their influence on Alito and his own nomination. In the 2000s the Court would undergo a dramatic shift. When Judge Ginsburg lost a long batter with cancer, Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell refused to bring Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the floor, outraging liberals.
Follow that a few months later by the upset election of Donald Trump in 2016 over Hillary Clinton. Trump's dramatic victory would forever change the Court as he was able to secure (with McConnel's help) three new appointments to the Supreme Court--all conservatives, all Catholics, and all members of the Federalist Society. The end result a 6-3 majority for conservatives and the "revenge" part of the book title.
The last part of the book is capped by the Dobbs decision that reversed decades of implied stere decisis with Roe versus Wade, sending decisions about abortions to the state and removing any constitutionally implied right to abortion at the national level. Alito authored this landmark decision, with repercussions still being felt.
Overall, I like the book. and give it 4/5 stars. The author's bias (in my opinion) shines through at the end in that he disagrees with a lot of Alito's decisions and the conservative majority.
I want to thank Simon and Schuster, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this new work which is highly recommended.
July 27, 2026
The interesting and sad thing about Sam Alito is the transformation that he has undergone since joining the Supreme Court. He was always a bright hardworking guy, modest in his demeanor, maybe a little bit shy. He was conservative, but not doctrinaire, and as a judge always open to the arguments of both sides of a case. Now he has become a harsh, mean-spirited ideologue, with his point of view on every case pretty much assured before it is argued. It's the opposite of the trajectory followed by Harry Blackmun and David Souter, who grew in wisdom and moderation as they had more time on the Court. Mr. Justice Alito's opinions ignore the settled law and ignore the principle of originalism which he espoused when he was nominated to the Court. He has an idea that constitutional principles must be based on ideas and values that were deeply embedded in the country's culture at the time that the relevant clause was added to the Constitution, but it seems that those ideas and values are not based on an actual study of history so much as they are based on what he thinks those ideas and values ought to have been. His opinions are the opposite of the concepts of limited government and judicial restraint on which the Federalist Society and the conservative legal movement originated. And his sneering angry demeanor is the opposite of what has traditionally been expected of a Supreme Court Justice. This is not good for anyone, whether on the left or the right.
What happened? This book tries to give an answer, but it's all speculation. Was it his experience at Princeton where he was an outsider - a poor kid from a conservative family who had much more to lose than the rich kids who staged student strikes and took over buildings in the 1960s? Was it too much time spent in Federalist Society echo chambers? Was it an overreaction to the difficulties surrounding his nomination? Was it the dislike he and his wife have for Washington society? Or is it a man who is drunk with the power of sitting on the highest court where what the court says is the law, so he is free to take whatever position he wants? It's probably some of each, but whatever the reason, there's no question that the guy has become toxic. He's damaging the Court's reputation and damaging our democracy. If we have to have a conservative court, give me John Roberts times nine, but no Sam Alitos, please.
What happened? This book tries to give an answer, but it's all speculation. Was it his experience at Princeton where he was an outsider - a poor kid from a conservative family who had much more to lose than the rich kids who staged student strikes and took over buildings in the 1960s? Was it too much time spent in Federalist Society echo chambers? Was it an overreaction to the difficulties surrounding his nomination? Was it the dislike he and his wife have for Washington society? Or is it a man who is drunk with the power of sitting on the highest court where what the court says is the law, so he is free to take whatever position he wants? It's probably some of each, but whatever the reason, there's no question that the guy has become toxic. He's damaging the Court's reputation and damaging our democracy. If we have to have a conservative court, give me John Roberts times nine, but no Sam Alitos, please.
May 7, 2026
Sam Alito is Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Samuel Alito. The author does a good job of describing Alito's family and upbringing is reasonably short, efficient ways without this turning into a real biography. This book focuses heavily on how Alito came to wend his way onto the Supreme Court and how he has chosen to wield his power there to complete the rightward tilt of that body. Alito is no doubt a man of high intellect and steely determination. He was almost a cipher throughout his days as a law student, attorney and Circuit Court judge, although those close to him, or who studied him as The Federalist Society did, knew of his strong conservative views. Now the world knows him as an arch conservative who flips his judicial philosophy repeatedly to favor the Republican party. The quotations from his various judicial opinions bring this out in stark relief.
The title refers mostly to Alito's time at Princeton for his undergraduate days. I had forgotten about that turbulent time. As I was on the west coast at the hotbed of dissent and anti-war picketing (Berkeley) at that time, I didn't pay much attention to the fact that the same thing was happening at Princeton, the Berkeley of the East. Alito was very must offended by the disruption to his academic career the protests caused and the anti-government views of the protesters. He joined ROTC, one of the targets of the protests. According to the book, this whole experience colored his judicial and even life view. He's punishing everyone now for the effrontery of the demonstrators et al. As an attorney and someone who turned down the Ivy League to stay at Berkeley, I may have a particular interest in this book that others might not share, but I found it very worthwhile.
The title refers mostly to Alito's time at Princeton for his undergraduate days. I had forgotten about that turbulent time. As I was on the west coast at the hotbed of dissent and anti-war picketing (Berkeley) at that time, I didn't pay much attention to the fact that the same thing was happening at Princeton, the Berkeley of the East. Alito was very must offended by the disruption to his academic career the protests caused and the anti-government views of the protesters. He joined ROTC, one of the targets of the protests. According to the book, this whole experience colored his judicial and even life view. He's punishing everyone now for the effrontery of the demonstrators et al. As an attorney and someone who turned down the Ivy League to stay at Berkeley, I may have a particular interest in this book that others might not share, but I found it very worthwhile.
May 25, 2026
A mostly fair (I guess?) look at Samuel Alito's life. I appreciated the strong focus on his early life and not just his legal career. Canellos writes of the justice's childhood in the Italian community of south New Jersey and how strongly that milieu shaped his worldview.
Later at Princeton University and then Yale Law School, the shy and extremely intelligent student ran into the mess that was the late '60s and early '70s. It seems the campus atmosphere at those two places really turned Alito off to the leftist mindset. And who could blame him?
Alito fell into a supreme court nomination when Bush's first pick was roundly rejected by the commentariat (though, looking back, I don't think she was as bad as we thought at the time). He was endorsed by every single one of his 40+ clerks as an impartial and studious judge.
At this point Canellos' tone changes significantly. He claims that Alito has morphed into an extremist while on the high court. He finds a few former colleagues or acquaintances who say the same thing. He even claims that Justice O'Connor, whose seat Alito filled, would agree. It's not clear what evidence Canellos has for this supposed shift, however. It seems to be based mostly in cases with which the author disagrees.
I'm sure Alito has matured/changed at least somewhat. I'd blame it on living in the cesspool that is the greater DC area (and Canellos does hint at that), but is anyone really surprised by Alito's views on the court these last twenty years? I have a hard time believing so.
Later at Princeton University and then Yale Law School, the shy and extremely intelligent student ran into the mess that was the late '60s and early '70s. It seems the campus atmosphere at those two places really turned Alito off to the leftist mindset. And who could blame him?
Alito fell into a supreme court nomination when Bush's first pick was roundly rejected by the commentariat (though, looking back, I don't think she was as bad as we thought at the time). He was endorsed by every single one of his 40+ clerks as an impartial and studious judge.
At this point Canellos' tone changes significantly. He claims that Alito has morphed into an extremist while on the high court. He finds a few former colleagues or acquaintances who say the same thing. He even claims that Justice O'Connor, whose seat Alito filled, would agree. It's not clear what evidence Canellos has for this supposed shift, however. It seems to be based mostly in cases with which the author disagrees.
I'm sure Alito has matured/changed at least somewhat. I'd blame it on living in the cesspool that is the greater DC area (and Canellos does hint at that), but is anyone really surprised by Alito's views on the court these last twenty years? I have a hard time believing so.
July 16, 2026
I enjoyed this book because it provided an overview of recent major Supreme Court cases. I was particularly interested in the history of the Federalist Society.
It began with Ronald Reagan became president in 1980. Regan wanted a more conservative judiciary. He relied his attorney General Edwin Meese to implement it.
Sam Alito’s biography is interesting also.
It began with Ronald Reagan became president in 1980. Regan wanted a more conservative judiciary. He relied his attorney General Edwin Meese to implement it.
Sam Alito’s biography is interesting also.
July 8, 2026
I expected to 'hate-read' this but I wound up not, although I never really lost sight of 'this is who the subject has become'. There was indeed a large backlash to the 60s and we're still feeling that backlash's effects.
June 15, 2026
Most of the events in this book were covered in the daily political news but there were enough new items to make the book interesting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews