Samuel Alito Named to Supreme Court

After much debate and an attempted filibuster, the United States Senate confirmed Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, 58-42. His vote was the closest confirmation for a nominee since Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed 52-48 in 1991. After being confirmed, Justice Alito will be the 110th Supreme Court Justice. Alito, 55, replaces retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a moderate swing vote and the first woman appointed to the high court.

Only one of the Senate's 55 Republicans voted against Alito's confirmation – Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, a moderate facing re-election this fall in an overwhelmingly Democratic state. Four Democrats broke party ranks and voted for Altio. Those Senators were Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Kent Conrad of North Dakota. All four of the states represented by the senators were carried by Bush in both 2000 and 2004.

Information from this post and the biography taken from CNN.

Born: 1950 in Trenton, New Jersey

Education: Princeton, 1972; Yale Law, 1975

Career: Judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, nominated by former President Bush, 1990-present; U.S. attorney, 1987-1990; Deputy assistant U.S. attorney general, 1985-1987; Assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, 1981-1985; Assistant U.S. attorney, 1977-1981; Law clerk to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 1976-1977

Judicial philosophy: Some liberals call him "Scalito" or "Scalia lite" for his conservative views and pointedly written rulings. Women's rights groups point to a Pennsylvania law he voted to uphold requiring women to tell their husbands before having an abortion. The Supreme Court struck down the law in 1992.

Family: Wife Martha-Ann is librarian and teacher; son Philip is college sophomore and daughter Laura is in high school.