Samuel Alito confirms he will remain on Supreme Court for another term

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, 76, has confirmed he will remain on the bench for the 2026-2027 term, dampening conservative pressure to retire. Some conservatives have urged Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, to step down so President Donald Trump can appoint younger successors before the November midterm elections, which could hand Senate control to Democrats and complicate future confirmations. Alito dismissed the retirement pressure and defended his judicial independence against critics.

Alito confirmation for 2026-2027 term

• ▪The Supreme Court's next nine-month term is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and run until the end of June or early July 2027
• ▪In June 2026, National Public Radio mistakenly published and quickly retracted an online story erroneously claiming that Justice Samuel Alito was retiring
• ▪U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed in an interview published on August 7, 2026, that he intends to remain on the court for at least another term

Conservative pressure for strategic retirement

• ▪Justice Samuel Alito described conservative pressure to retire as a reminder of mortality, comparing those calling for his retirement to vultures flying around
• ▪Justice Samuel Alito and fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas have faced calls from some conservatives to step down to allow President Donald Trump to appoint younger successors
• ▪Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 78 years old and has served since 1991, is considered by some court watchers to want to remain on the bench through May 2028 to become the longest-serving justice

Senate control implications

• ▪Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate ahead of the November 2026 congressional midterm elections
• ▪If Democrats win control of the Senate in the November 2026 midterm elections, they are expected to try to block any Supreme Court nominees put forward by President Donald Trump

Alito Trump alignment record

• ▪Justice Samuel Alito rejected critics' claims that he is a rubber stamp for the Trump administration, stating that he votes in every case the way he thinks it should be decided
• ▪Justice Samuel Alito dissented from major Supreme Court rulings that rejected President Donald Trump's efforts to impose global tariffs, fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and curtail birthright citizenship

Supreme Court conservative majority

• ▪President Donald Trump's first-term appointments of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett established a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court
• ▪Justice Samuel Alito, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush in 2006, authored the landmark 2022 Supreme Court decision that overruled Roe v. Wade