Press Release

Justice Samuel Alito to Receive 2026 AEI Irving Kristol Award

For Immediate Release

Washington, DC — September 17, 2026

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) President Robert Doar announced today that United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. will receive the Irving Kristol Award, the highest honor bestowed by AEI.

“Justice Alito has been an extraordinary leader and thinker on the Supreme Court. His opinions vindicating individual liberty, the rule of law, the proper role of the judiciary, and the democratic process have maintained and strengthened our constitutional order over the past two decades. All of us at AEI could not be prouder to honor his exemplary integrity and service to our nation.”

Robert Doar, President, American Enterprise Institute

President George W. Bush nominated Alito as an associate justice of the Supreme Court in 2005, and he took his seat on January 31, 2006. Over his more than 20 years on the Court, Justice Alito has consistently honored our long-standing legal traditions and the text, logic, structure, and original understanding of the Constitution. Having written legal opinions on topics from free speech and conscience protections to criminal law, the separation of powers, and the significance of judicial precedent, Justice Alito has articulated a distinct and coherent set of principles.

AEI’s Irving Kristol Award is given annually to individuals who have made exceptional practical and intellectual contributions to improve government policy, social welfare, or political understanding. Established in 2002 in honor of AEI Senior Fellow Irving Kristol, the accolade replaced the Francis Boyer Award, which had been given for the previous 25 years. Previous recipients include Gerald R. Ford, Arthur F. Burns, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Dick Cheney, Alan Greenspan, Paul Ryan, Mary Ann Glendon, Mitch McConnell, and Gordon S. Wood.

This event is by invitation only. For additional information regarding the Irving Kristol Award or other media inquiries, please contact AEI Media Services at mediaservices@aei.org or 202.862.5829.

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