2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Samuel Alito

none February 2026 September 2023 Samuel Alito File:Justice Alito official.jpg 2005 first October 3, 2005 October 1, 2006 4 3 0 2 0 9 0 0 1 Scalia, Thomas (6) Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer (2) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinions.aspx?Term=05 https://web.archive.org/web/20120516151603/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/slipopinions.aspx?Term=05 May 16, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20100527232514/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/relatingtoorders.aspx?Term=05 https://web.archive.org/web/20100527232514/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/relatingtoorders.aspx?Term=05 May 27, 2010 https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/in-chambers.aspx?Term=05 https://web.archive.org/web/20120516151732/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/in-chambers.aspx?Term=05 May 16, 2012 December 14, 2016 Samuel Alito opinions SCOTUSterm2005 01 Holmes v. South Carolina majority 547 319 2006 Rights of the accused right to present evidence of third-party guilt Unanimous Alito's first opinion on the Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for a criminal defendant's evidence of third-party guilt to be excluded based only on the strength of the prosecution's case. This standard was irrational because whether the prosecution's evidence was strong had no logical bearing on the reliability and probative value of the defendant's proffered evidence. 02 Zedner v. United States majority 547 489 2006 Rights of the accused Speedy Trial Act Roberts, Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer; Scalia (in part) Scalia concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Antonin Scalia#Zedner v. United States Alito's unanimous decision ruled that a criminal defendant cannot prospectively waive the protections of the Speedy Trial Act of 1974. Justice Scalia declined to join the portion of Alito's opinion addressing the Act's legislative history, and wrote a separate concurrence criticizing that method of statutory interpretation. 03 Dixon v. United States concurrence 548 001 1 2006 Federal firearms law rights of the accused burden of proof on defense of duress Scalia Stevens majority 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of John Paul Stevens#Dixon v. United States Kennedy concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Anthony Kennedy#Dixon v. United States Breyer dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Stephen Breyer#Dixon v. United States Alito concurred in the Court's opinion and in its 7-2 judgment that a defendant charged with the federal crime of receiving a firearm while under indictment had the burden of proving the affirmative defense of duress. Alito wrote separately to express his understanding that the allocation of the burden would not vary from one federal criminal statute to another. The defendant had the burden at common law, and Alito did not believe Congress reassessed the burden with every new statutory enactment so that the allocation would impliedly follow the current legal trends. 04 Burlington, N. & S. F. R. Co. v. White concurrence 548 053 53 2006 Civil rights Title VII Breyer majority 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Stephen Breyer#Burlington, N. & S. F. R. Co. v. White Alito concurred in the Court's judgment, but disagreed with its reasoning. 05 Woodford v. Ngo majority 548 081 81 2006 prisoners' rights Prison Litigation Reform Act Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas Breyer concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Stephen Breyer#Woodford v. Ngo Stevens dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of John Paul Stevens#Woodford v. Ngo Alito's majority opinion ruled that the Prison Litigation Reform Act required administrative remedies to be properly exhausted before prison conditions could be challenged in federal court. Remedies that were unavailable only because they were time-barred were not properly exhausted. 06 United States v. Gonzalez-Lopez dissent 548 140 2006 Rights of the accused Sixth Amendment right to counsel Roberts, Kennedy, Thomas Scalia majority 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Antonin Scalia#United States v. Gonzalez-Lopez Alito's first dissent on the Court argued that the Court had misinterpreted the Sixth Amendment's protection of the right to counsel to protect a defendant's choice of counsel, when he believed the text and history of the Amendment indicated that it merely protected a defendant's right to assistance that was as effective as his choice of counsel would be. Even if it protected choice of counsel, it did not mean that violation of this right should be grounds for automatic reversal. Instead, because the Constitution lacked directives as to how such rights should be enforced, the Court should follow the Congressional directive to apply harmless error analysis. 07 Randall v. Sorrell concurrence 548 230 2006 First Amendment free speech campaign finance reform Breyer plurality 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Stephen Breyer#Randall v. Sorrell Kennedy concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Anthony Kennedy#Randall v. Sorrell Thomas concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Clarence Thomas#Randall v. Sorrell Stevens dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of John Paul Stevens#Randall v. Sorrell Souter dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of David Souter#Randall v. Sorrell Alito concurred in the Court's judgment, and concurred in the plurality's opinion in part. 08 Arlington Central School Dist. Bd. of Ed. v. Murphy majority 548 291 2006 Civil rights Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas Ginsburg concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Ruth Bader Ginsburg#Arlington Central School Dist. Bd. of Ed. v. Murphy Souter dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of David Souter#Arlington Central School Dist. Bd. of Ed. v. Murphy Breyer dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Stephen Breyer#Arlington Central School Dist. Bd. of Ed. v. Murphy Alito wrote the five-justice majority for a 6–3 decision that prevailing parents under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act were not entitled to an award of expert witness fees. Justices Souter and Breyer filed dissenting opinions. 09 Hamdan v. Rumsfeld dissent 548 557 2006 Scalia, Thomas (in part) Stevens plurality 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of John Paul Stevens#Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Kennedy concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Anthony Kennedy#Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Breyer concurrence 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Stephen Breyer#Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Scalia dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Antonin Scalia#Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Thomas dissent 2005 term United States Supreme Court opinions of Clarence Thomas#Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Alito also joined Scalia's dissent, and Thomas' in part.