Supreme Court clarifies Alito-Sotomayor bench exchange after asylum ruling

The Supreme Court issued a statement Friday stating that Justice Samuel Alito was notified in advance that Justice Sonia Sotomayor would read a dissent from the bench in an asylum case decided the previous day. The court spokesperson said the exchange resulted from a misunderstanding on Alito’s part.

The clarification came after Alito, during the release of opinions, noted that he would have added to his bench statement had he known a dissent would be read.

“Justice Alito was notified in advance by Justice Sotomayor’s chambers that she would be reading a dissent from the bench. It was a misunderstanding on Justice Alito’s part.”