Supreme Court Justices, from left, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Chief Justice John Roberts, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor attend the 60th inaugural ceremony in 2025. (Ricky Carioti /Washington Post via Getty Images)
Last month, Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor quarreled briefly during oral arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case focused on LGBTQ-related books in elementary schools and whether parents with religious objections can "opt out" children being read such material.
The exhange occurred when Sotomayor asked Mahmoud attorney Eric Baxter about a book titled "Uncle Bobby’s Wedding," a story that invoked a same-sex relationship. Sotomayor asked Baxter whether exposure to same-sex relationships in children's books like the one in question should be considered "coercion."
Baxter began responding when Alito chimed in.
"I've read that book as well as a lot of these other books," Alito said. "Do you think it's fair to say that all that is done in 'Uncle Bobby's Wedding' is to expose children to the fact that there are men who marry other men?"
After Baxter objected, Alito noted that the book in question "has a clear message" but one that some individuals with "traditional religious beliefs don't agree with."
Sotomayor jumped in partway through Alito's objection, "What a minute, the reservation is – "
"Can I finish?" Alito said to Sotomayor in a rare moment of frustration.
He continued, "It has a clear moral message, and it may be a good message. It's just a message that a lot of religious people disagree with."
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Then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch meets with Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite/File)
"You believe that Mr. Martinez and the Solicitor General are lying? Is that your accusation?" Gorsuch asked Blatt, who fired back, "Yes, absolutely."
Counsel "should be more careful with their words," Gorsuch told Blatt in an early tone of warning.
"OK, well, they should be more careful in mischaracterizing a position by an experienced advocate of the Supreme Court, with all due respect," Blatt responded.
Several minutes later, Gorsuch referenced the lying accusation again, "Ms. Blatt, I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied."
"I’d ask you to reconsider that phrase," he said. "You can accuse people of being incorrect, but lying, lying is another matter."
He then began to read through quotations that she had entered before the court, before she interrupted again.
"I’m not finished," Gorsuch told Blatt, raising his voice.
"Fine," she responded.
Shortly after, Gorsuch asked Blatt to withdraw her earlier remarks that accused the other side of lying.
"Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt," Gorsuch said.
"Fine, I withdraw," she shot back.
Plaintiffs said in rebuttal that they would not dignify the name-calling.
Supreme Court (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The exchange sparked some buzz online, including from an experienced appeals court litigator, Raffi Melkonian, who wrote on social media, "I've never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry."
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"Both of those moments literally stopped me in my tracks," said Steve Vladeck, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. "You might want to listen somewhere where you can cringe in peace."
Mark Joseph Stern, a court reporter for Slate, described the exchange as "extremely tense" and described Blatt's behavior as "indignant and unrepentant."
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-flare-ups-grab-headlines-justices-feel-heat