With all the talk of the single status of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, it was nice to be reminded that you can be happily married while on the bench of the top court in the nation.
Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha, were the antithesis of the typically dour Supreme Court, spending a lively Monday across town from the court at a closing-night event for the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center. The conservative justice was more than happy to chat (under the watchful eye of several bodyguards), telling us that yes, he loves jazz, “but I’m really here for my wife, she’s a big fan.” Martha cited Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday as some of her favorites.
The two played off each other while talking with us about their evening at the Center’s Terrace Restaurant, laughing and smiling like teens in love. Our favorite exchange, though, was their comparison of music and the law.
“Music keeps you young,” Justice Alito posited. “It’s like the law, it gets better with age,” his wife gushed about her husband. “I sure hope so,” he joked back.
