Alito Considered Retiring From Supreme Court This Year, Cites Desire to Serve
Justice Samuel Alito stated he briefly contemplated stepping down but decided against it, believing he can still contribute to the Constitution and country.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, 76, has acknowledged that he considered retiring from the high court earlier this year. In a wide-ranging interview with CBS News, Alito stated that he ultimately decided to remain on the bench because he believes he can still make a meaningful contribution.
Alito, who has served on the Supreme Court for two decades, told CBS News' Jan Crawford that retirement is a consideration for individuals of his age each term. He indicated that his decision to stay was not influenced by political considerations or the prospect of President Donald Trump appointing a successor. Instead, his reasoning was rooted in his belief that he could continue to serve the Constitution and the country.
"It's hard to give up the opportunity to do something that I think will be good for the Constitution and good for the country as long as I'm able to do it," Alito said. He dismissed the idea that he factored his own influence or the political climate into his decision-making process, noting that it is "too hard to predict what the political situation will be... and what any president might do with respect to a replacement."
Alito also addressed a recent report in The Wall Street Journal indicating he has sided with President Trump more frequently than any other justice. When asked by CBS News if his rulings would have been the same regardless of whether Trump was in office, Alito asserted they would have been.
"I absolutely sincerely believe that I would," Alito stated. "I'm not trying to decide cases to help President Trump. And I have not decided cases in the past to help or hurt any other president or presidential administration."
Alito was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in January 2006. He is widely known for writing the majority opinion in the 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion. He also drew attention in 2010 when he appeared to mouth "not true" during President Obama's criticism of the Citizens United ruling at a State of the Union address.
