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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito did not participate in three decisions announced in an order list on Monday.
The corporation Johnson & Johnson was the petitioner in two of the cases where Justice Brett Kavanaugh also did not participate in one of them. The court ultimately declined to hear both cases.
The other decision involved a motion for leave to proceed as a veteran, which the court denied.
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Why It Matters
The court's Code of Conduct calls for justices to recuse themselves when they have financial, professional or personal conflicts. Supreme Court justices decide for themselves whether and when to recuse from a case.
The court announced it had adopted revised rules in February requiring parties in court cases to submit stock ticker symbols if applicable. The court said in a press release many of the changes are designed to support newly developed software that will assist in identifying potential conflicts for the justices.
The software will be used to run recusal checks by comparing information about parties and attorneys with lists created by each justice’s chambers, according to the court. The new software will be used in addition to existing conflict-checking procedures, the court added.
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What To Know
The court did not identify a reason why Alito did not participate in the three decisions, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. v/ Noohi, Narguess; Johnson & Johnson, et al. v. San Diego City. Employees, et al; and March, Anthony W. v. United States.
In 2024, Bloomberg reported Alito or his wife owns stock in multiple companies, including a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
Alito had recused himself from 64 cases between 2021 and 2024 due to his ownership of shares in those companies, far more than other justices did, according to the outlet.
Alito also sat out another decision on Friday in Chevron USA Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. He recused himself from the decision in January after disclosing a financial interest in ConocoPhillips, the parent company of Burlington Resources, which was a party to the case in the lower court.
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How Many Justices are on the Supreme Court?
There are nine Supreme Court justices, six conservatives and three liberals. The liberal justices are Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The conservatives are Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
What Happens Next
The court's current term is expected to end in June.
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Update 4/20/26, 2:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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