CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The U.S. Supreme Court will eventually have at least as many female justices as it does male, Justice Samuel Alito told a university class Wednesday.
Alito, who replaced Justice Sandra Day O'Connor when he was confirmed last year, was answering a student's question on why the court has just one woman — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Alito noted most law schools today have enrollments of at least 50 percent women, and that a greater number of women lawyers and judges will advance to higher courts within a generation.
"You don't get there when you're young," he said. "There's a considerable amount of lag time."
Speaking to an introductory politics class at the University of Virginia, Alito also spoke about the process Supreme Court nominees face.
"A lot of the nomination and confirmation process has taken on a lot of the attributes of an election campaign," he said. "And you can decide for yourself whether or not that is a good thing."
He also said the current justices on the Supreme Court get along well. "You might not think that from reading our opinions. We are a group of strong-willed lawyers," he said.
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