Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said in an interview this week that he “thought about” retiring during the Supreme Court term that concluded in July but decided to continue serving out of a belief that he was making “a valuable contribution.” Speaking to CBS News, Justice Alito described the calculation as a natural one that comes with age. At 76, Justice Alito is the second-oldest justice on the court.
His age and political alignment with President Trump have spurred rounds of speculation that he might soon retire, particularly with Democrats’ surge in the polls and control of the Senate after the November elections in question. “It’s too hard to predict how, for anybody, particularly when you reach a certain age, what your situation will be a year from now, two years from now, and so forth,” he said in the interview, clips of which were posted online on Friday.
He added that he would “have to” consider retirement each year that he serves. The comments were a reminder that Mr. Trump, who remade the court, building a six-member conservative supermajority in his first term, may have the opportunity to appoint another justice or more before he leaves office. Justice Clarence Thomas, who at 78 is the court’s oldest current justice, has over the years ruled out retiring, indicating he intends to serve for decades more.
Should Democrats gain control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections, Justice Alito would most likely come under pressure to retire before the new Congress was seated in January, to give Mr. Trump more leeway in picking a conservative successor who could win Senate confirmation. Justice Alito gave the interview while promoting his book, “So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of the Constitution, the Court and Our Country,” set for release next week.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing