Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday that he talked to Donald Trump about a job for one of his former law clerks in the president-elect's administration, a day before Trump requested the Supreme Court delay Sentenced in New York in his “quiet money” case.
Alito said in a statement that the clerk, William Levy, had asked him to speak to the president-elect “regarding his qualifications to serve in government office.” The conservative judge also said that he and Trump “did not discuss any other cases that are pending or that may come before the Supreme Court in the future or any previous Supreme Court decisions involving the president-elect.”
Alito said, “We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today and, in fact, at the time of our conversation I was not even aware that such an application would be filed.”
Judges often recommend former clerks for top government and law firm jobs, but the direct call with the president appears unusual and comes as Trump is scheduled to work in front of the court. Trump's lawyers are asking the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing in New York on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. He is going to be in the present sentenced On Friday, and the judge in the case said he did not intend to sentence Trump to prison. He is also allowing him to appear virtually instead of in person.
Trump's lawyers argue that a conviction could disrupt the presidential transition and would violate a previous Supreme Court ruling on immunity for former presidents in another case against Trump. The court has not yet given any response.
During Trump's first term, Levy served as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Bill Barr. He was a law clerk for Alito from 2011 to 2012.
Gabe Roth, executive director of the nonpartisan group Fix the Courts, called the phone call a “clear breach of protocol.”
“No person, no matter who they are, should engage in out-of-court communications with a judge or judges who are considering that person's case,” he said in a statement.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
But Cary Severino, president of JCN, a conservative group that has promoted Trump's judicial nominees, said in a social media post that the call was an “'ethics' scandal built on a simple reference check” that would “discredit” the justices. Was extended to.
Alito faced calls to recuse himself after revelations of two major affairs involving Trump last year flags Flyers linked to Trump supporters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, were previously seen outside their homes. Alito said his wife had flagged the flag and rejected calls to step down.
Tuesday's call was first reported ABC News,