WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 01: An activist with The Center for Popular Democracy Action holds a photo of U.S. Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito as they block an intersection during a demonstration in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on December 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Court heard arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, a case about a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. With the addition of conservative justices to the court by former President Donald Trump, experts believe this could be the most important abortion case in decades and could undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito spoke to President-elect Donald Trump on the phone this week to recommend former law clerks for his new administration.
It is not unusual for a sitting judge to recommend a former clerk. But ethics critics found it odd that he directly conversed with a president-elect about the matter, especially with Trump’s business pending with the court.
“William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position. I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon,” said Justice Alito in a statement.
In late December, Trump asked the justices to delay the ban on TikTok.
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On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s plea to be spared sentencing in his hush money trial.
Levi was a clerk for Justice Alito from 2011 to 2012 and served in Trump’s first administration as chief of staff to Attorney General Bill Barr. He is now being considered for various legal jobs in the new administration.
On Friday, Trump was sentenced for falsifying business records in the case after requesting presidential immunity. New York Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge, meaning no prison, fines or probation for him.
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