Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is “not surprised” by the blowback he received after he gave a speech last year defending religious freedom during the coronavirus pandemic.

Alito, who on Sunday celebrated his 15th anniversary on the high court, told USA Today that “virtually every substantive point” in his controversial keynote address at a Federalist Society dinner was pulled from opinions he had already written for the court. In the remarks, the justice touched on a series of religious liberty issues and warned that corporate and academic leaders are displaying a “growing hostility to the expression of unfashionable views,” including the free expression of faith.