Private religious speech can't be discriminated against. It has to be treated equally with secular speech.

Part of me wanted to get a graduate degree in political science. Had I done that, I suppose I would have become a college professor.

A judge can't have any preferred outcome in any particular case. The judge's only obligation - and it's a solemn obligation - is to the rule of law.

I think that the legitimacy of the court would be undermined in any case if the court made a decision based on its perception of public opinion.

When I became a judge, I stopped being a practicing attorney. And that was a big change in role.The role of a practicing attorney is to achieve a desirable result for the client in the particular case at hand. But a judge can't think that way. A judge can't have any agenda, a judge can't have any preferred outcome in any particular case and a judge certainly doesn't have a client.

It's been a great honor for me to spend my career in public service.

I can still remember the day, as an assistant U.S. attorney, when I stood up in court for the first time and I proudly said, "My name is Samuel Alito and I represent the United States in this court." It was a great honor for me to have the United States as my client during all of those years.