Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed to Fox News Wednesday that he spoke with the president-elect Donald Trump The day before Trump was due to appear before the Supreme Court, they said they had not discussed an emergency request that the former president's legal team intends to file to postpone the sentencing.
Alito told Fox News' Shannon Brehm that he was asked if he would accept a phone call from Trump about the position being considered by his former clerk, William Levy, and praised Levy's “outstanding resume.”
“William Levy, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a phone call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in government office. I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon,” Alito said.
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Associate Justice Samuel Alito joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group photo in October 2022. (AP/J Scott Applewhite)
Alito said he had not spoken with Trump about the emergency request, and was not “aware at the time of our conversation that such a request would be made.”
“We also did not discuss any other matter pending or that may come before the Supreme Court or any prior Supreme Court decisions involving the president-elect,” Alito said.
Alito told Fox News that he was often asked to make recommendations to potential employers about former clerks, and that it was a common practice.
Levy once served in Ministry of Justice During the president-elect's first term he also clerked for Alito from 2011 to 2012.
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President-elect Trump meets with lawmakers. (Getty Images)
Alito, who spoke to Trump the day before Trump was due to appear before the Supreme Court regarding the secret money case in New York, prompted some to criticize him, saying the conversation was a “clear violation of protocol.”
“No person, no matter who they are, should engage in out-of-court communications with a judge or judge hearing that person’s case,” Gabe Roth, executive director of the nonpartisan group Fix the Court, said in a statement.
Alito said He was not aware of an emergency motion being prepared by Trump's legal team in connection with the New York state case, nor was there any discussion of it.
Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr. during an official group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, October 7, 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He confirmed to Fox News that the call was only about Levy, and that there was no discussion of any legal matter involving Trump — past, present or future.
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He also said there had been no discussion of any court case or potential court appearance.
ABC News was first to report the Trump-Alito call.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
