Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed Friday he will serve another term on the nation's highest court, quelling recent speculation about his potential retirement.
"Obviously, I’m here for another term," Alito, 76, stated in an interview published in The Wall Street Journal’s editorial section.
Speculation surrounding Alito's future intensified in June following an erroneous report of his retirement by a Supreme Court reporter at National Public Radio. The report was quickly retracted, and the court confirmed its inaccuracy, yet the rumors persisted. A retirement from Alito could have provided President Donald Trump with the opportunity to appoint a fourth justice to the Supreme Court.
In the interview, conducted in his chambers, Alito addressed the current state of the court and pushed back against the notion that political partisanship influences his judicial decisions. "I vote in every case the way I think the case should be decided," he said. "If that means a high correlation with what Trump wants, fine. If it means zero correlation with what Trump wants, fine as well."