Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned Saturday that free speech is under threat on campuses and religious freedom is at risk in society as a whole.
“Difficult circumstances are colliding with some of our most fundamental principles,” he said.
He spoke at the commencement ceremony for the Catholic Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.
“Support for free speech has declined dangerously, especially where it should be most deeply embraced,” he said.
Universities should be “places for reasoned discussion,” he says. But, he added, “few universities are currently living up to that ideal.”
The same goes for tolerance of religious views in society in general, he said.
“Religious freedom is also at risk,” he said. “As you go out into the world, you may find yourself under pressure in your work, community, or social settings to support ideas you don't believe in or to abandon your core beliefs. It's up to you whether you want to be firm or not.”
In other situations, Justice Alito cited specific examples in which he complained that people who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds are sometimes treated as bigots.
As the Supreme Court prepares to issue important decisions in the coming weeks, including a criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump, decisions on abortion, gun rights and social media, members of the conservative majority has spread throughout the United States and is making various proposals. take over their work.
At a judicial conference in Alabama on Friday, Judge Clarence Thomas bitterly said he was being subjected to what he called “nastyness and lies.” The judge accused his wife of receiving lavish gifts despite her efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and of cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He has been criticized for not holding back.
The same day, at the Texas Judicial Conference, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh spoke in a more upbeat tone about his dedication to neutrality principles and the court's efforts to build consensus.
Although these appearances were extensive public conversations, Justice Alito's speech was short and general. However, this was laced with the judge's characteristic pessimism.
“It’s tough out there,” he said. “And actually, I think it’s even tougher now than it has ever been.”
When the speaker introducing him points out that he wrote the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and abolished the constitutional right to abortion. He received a huge standing ovation.
Justice Alito said in his speech that it is important to respect precedent in law and life.
“If you read almost any opinion issued by a court in this country, you will find that the text is full of references to past court decisions,” he said. “These decisions, which we call precedents, are highly respected. They are not written in stone. Sometimes they have to be changed, but they should not be thrown out lightly.”