Report: Justice Alito Refuses to Step Down from Supreme Court Despite Pressure

According to a source close to Justice Samuel Alito, the justice has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court in the near future, putting an end to speculation among some Republican leaders that Alito, who is 74 years old, might step down to make way for a younger, more conservative judge.

Immediately after Trump's victory in the 2024 election, rumors about Alito's retirement started circulating, as Republicans were set to regain control of the Senate and retain the House in January.

If Alito and Thomas retire, the GOP majority would not face any opposition from filibusters, allowing Trump to easily confirm his picks for Supreme Court justices.

Alito has stated that he has no intention of stepping down.

According to a source close to Alito, despite some people's beliefs, he has never considered this job from a political standpoint. The Wall Street Journal first reported his decision to stay on the Supreme Court.

This person stated that the notion that he would retire for political reasons contradicts his character.

In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Alito to the Supreme Court.

Alito, at 74, is the second oldest justice on the Supreme Court, with Thomas, 76, being the oldest, appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. Sotomayor, appointed by President Obama in 2009, is also 70.

The possibility of replacing Alito and Thomas with younger, Trump-appointed justices could spark significant controversy, given that the Supreme Court's approval rating is currently at 40%, as per a Gallup poll conducted in September.

The Supreme Court currently has a 6-3 conservative majority, with President Biden having recently appointed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the court.

If Alito and Thomas step down from the Supreme Court, Trump could be the first Republican president since Eisenhower to appoint a majority of justices.