WASHINGTON - Samuel Alito was sworn in as a U.S. Supreme Court justice on Tuesday after a divided Senate confirmed the second conservative selected by President George W. Bush in his effort to move the high court to the right.
Chief Justice John Roberts, Bush's first Supreme Court nominee, administered the constitutional and judicial oaths in a private ceremony at the court, a spokeswoman said.
Just hours earlier, the sharply divided Senate confirmed Alito, 55, a federal appeals judge since 1990, to the nation's highest court on a largely party line vote of 58-42.
Alito became the 110th member of the Supreme Court, replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a moderate conservative who retired. He is expected to align himself with the court's solidly conservative bloc and could affect the outcome of votes on key social issues such as abortion and civil rights.
Bush said in a statement: "Sam Alito is a brilliant and fair-minded judge who strictly interprets the Constitution and laws and does not legislate from the bench.
"He is a man of deep character and integrity, and he will make all Americans proud as a justice on our highest court."
Successful Supreme Court nominees have traditionally received broad bipartisan support, but Alito ended up with one of the lowest votes for confirmation in the past 100 years, and the fewest since conservative Clarence Thomas was confirmed 52-48 in 1991 after accusations he sexually harassed a former aide.
Four Democrats joined 54 Republicans in voting to confirm Alito, while one Republican, one independent and 40 Democrats opposed him.
In September, Roberts was confirmed 78-22.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the swearing in of Alito occurred around 12:40 p.m. (1740 GMT), and that it was attended by his wife, members of the court and their spouses.
Alito was expected to attend Bush's State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night with fellow justices.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said, "I must say that I wish the president was in a position to do more than claim a partisan victory tonight."
"The union would be better and stronger and more unified if we were confirming a different nominee, a nominee who could have united us more than divided us," he said.
Senate Majority Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, said a seat on the Supreme Court "is reserved for few -- but that impacts millions."
"In every respect, Judge Alito is a nominee who meets the highest standards of excellence," Frist said.
O'Connor's seat has long been viewed as pivotal since for years she has been the swing vote in a series of 5-4 decisions on social issues. Roberts replaced a fellow conservative, the late William Rehnquist, so he did not change the balance on the court.
Alito and Roberts, 51, appear certain to help shape the American way of life for years as key figures in the legacy of the 43rd president. Bush won two terms as president vowing to put staunch conservatives on the Supreme Court, the nation's final legal arbiter.
Roberts so far has voted with the court's most conservative members, Justices Antonin Scalia and Thomas, in rulings on physician-assisted suicide and the death penalty.
Democratic critics voiced fear that Alito would embrace an ideological agenda, but backers noted that he promised to equally administer justice for all and received the American Bar Association's top rating.
Though he opposed abortion while serving in the Reagan administration two decades ago, Alito promised at his confirmation hearing to respect legal precedent, which includes the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Still, to the consternation of foes, he did not say how he would rule.
