Alito owned stock, voted in case with Disney's ABC

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito took part in a case over curse words on television involving ABC and other networks even though he owned stock in ABC's parent, Walt Disney, at the time.

Justice Alito said that he owned around $2,000 in Disney stock when the court heard the case FCC v. Fox Television Stations in late 2008. ABC and the other networks also were parties to the case. Justice Alito said his participation was an oversight. He said aides who routinely check for conflicts in high court cases missed the Disney connection when they looked at the Fox case, even though ABC's brief clearly disclosed Disney's ownership. In any event, Justice Alito voted with the majority, against ABC's interests. The case came out 5-4, suggesting that Alito's participation directly affected the outcome in which the court threw out an appeals court ruling favorable to the networks.