U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. on Thursday night broadly condemned efforts to limit judicial participation in the conservative Federalist Society, assailed U.S. Senate Democrats for statements they made in a firearms case and questioned state restrictions imposed by governors as measures to keep residents safe in the coronavirus pandemic.

Alito’s remarks, foreboding and caustic, were widely viewed as some of his most partisan, even as he said he was not taking sides and weighing the legality of COVID-19 restrictions and that he was sure to be misunderstood.