Few justices have played a more prominent role in shaping modern conservative constitutional thought than Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Alito, Jr. Their lives and judicial careers offer a window into the intellectual, legal, and political developments that have shaped the U.S. Supreme Court over the past half century. Two acclaimed biographers join to explore the personal histories, formative experiences, judicial philosophies, and enduring influence of these two justices. James Rosen, author of a three-volume biographical project on Justice Scalia, discusses his first two volumes, Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936–1986 and Scalia: Supreme Court Years, 1986–2001. Peter S. Canellos, author of Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement, examines Justice Alito’s life and career within the broader history of the conservative legal movement. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Video
Participants
Peter S. Canellos is the author of The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America’s Judicial Hero, and the editor of the bestselling Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy. In a 30-year journalism career, he has been POLITICO’s executive editor, leading the newsroom during the 2016 presidential coverage; and the editorial page editor of The Boston Globe.
James Rosen is the chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax. He has covered the State Department, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, and the Pentagon during his journalism career. In addition to his three-part Scalia biography project, he is the author of The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate, Cheney One on One: A Candid Conversation with America's Most Controversial Statesman, and editor of A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century.
Additional Resources
- Peter S. Canellos, Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement (2026)
- James Rosen, Scalia: Rise to Greatness, 1936–1986 (2023)
- James Rosen, Scalia: Supreme Court Years, 1986–2001 (2026)
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