Adam Liptak, The New York Times ; Alito Spoke With Trump Shortly Before Supreme Court Filing
"Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. spoke with President-elect Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, not long before Mr. Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing following his conviction in New York in a case arising from hush money payments.
Justice Alito said the call was a routine job reference for a former law clerk whom Mr. Trump was considering for a government position.
It was not clear, however, why Mr. Trump would make a call to check references, a task generally left to lower-level aides.
Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, an advocacy group that seeks more openness at the Supreme Court, said the call was deeply problematic given the ethics controversies swirling around the court in general and Justice Alito in particular."
