Why Alito is the most frequent Supreme Court justice to recuse

The Supreme Court justices recused a combined 64 times this term when deciding what new cases to hear. The leader might not be who you think. 

Twenty-three recusals came from Justice Samuel Alito, a leading voice in the court’s conservative majority who is stepping aside at a rate threefold compared to any of his colleagues. 

Alito’s direct stock holdings are the main culprit. 

Most of the other justices keep their assets largely tied up in index funds and other diversified investment vehicles. But Alito owns shares directly in 27 companies, according to his latest financial disclosures reviewed by The Hill. 

Alito’s portfolio regularly prompts him to step aside as thousands of requests for the Supreme Court to hear new cases arrive each year. Here’s the running recusal count for votes on granting and turning away petitions this term: 

Ketanji Brown Jackson: 5 

Amy Coney Barrett: 4 

Click here for the full recusal list.

Most recently, Alito recused last month from a mortgage foreclosure case commenced by PNC Bank. Alito owns PNC shares recently valued between $15,000 and $50,000, his financial disclosure shows. 

Alito’s colleagues voted to turn away the little-noticed case in the middle of the opinion season rush.

The same dynamic played out a week prior, when they declined to get involved in a case stemming from Dow Corning Corp.’s silicone gel breast implants. Alito owned shares in Dow, too, and didn’t vote. 

His steady drumbeat of recusals plays out in more prominent battles, too. 

Alito didn’t vote earlier this year when the court turned away Maryland and South Carolina’s bid to move their lawsuits against conglomerate 3M, where Alito owns shares, into federal court.

And when the justices last fall rejected right-wing influencer Laura Loomer’s bid to revive her racketeering lawsuit against prominent social media companies, Alito stepped aside. In addition to companies like Meta, Loomer had........

© The Hill