Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed on Friday that he will continue serving on the nation's highest court for another term. The announcement comes weeks after widespread speculation about his potential retirement.
"Obviously, I’m here for another term," Alito, 76, said in an interview published in The Wall Street Journal's editorial section.
The discussion surrounding Alito's future intensified in June following a mistaken report by a National Public Radio reporter that erroneously published a pre-written retirement story. While the report was quickly retracted and deemed inaccurate by the court, it did not halt discussions about Alito's plans. A retirement by Alito could have presented Republican President Donald Trump with the opportunity to appoint a fourth justice to the Supreme Court.
In a rare interview conducted in his chambers, Alito also addressed the state of the court and rejected the notion that political partisanship influences his judicial decisions. "I vote in every case the way I think the case should be decided," he stated. "If that means a high correlation with what Trump wants, fine. If it means zero correlation with what Trump wants, fine as well."