Alito Is Sworn In as Justice After 58-42 Vote to Confirm Him By DAVID STOUT
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 —Samuel A. Alito Jr., who has been widely praised for his intellect and integrity but both admired and assailed for his conservative judicial philosophy, was sworn in today as the 110th justice in the history of the Supreme Court.
The ceremony, at the Supreme Court, came shortly after Justice Alito was confirmed by a sharply divided Senate, which voted 58 to 42, largely along party lines.
The vote gave President Bush a political triumph just hours ahead of his televised State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
As expected, Justice Alito's support in the Senate hewed closely to party lines. Among two Republican supporters of abortion rights, Senators Olympia J. Snowe of Maine voted for Justice Alito, while Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island voted no, the only Republican to do so. Senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont, an independent, voted against the nomination.
Justice Alito also won the support of four Democrats: Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Kent Conrad of North Dakota.
The vote is also a triumph for the conservative movement, whose adherents have longed to tilt the balance of the court to the right.
