NPR retracted a story on Tuesday that falsely reported Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring from the bench. The public broadcaster replaced the erroneous report with an editor's note.
"Earlier today we erroneously published a story saying that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. He has not announced his retirement and we have retracted the story," NPR stated.
The Supreme Court's public information officer also declared the NPR report to be "inaccurate," according to Courthouse News reporter Kelsey Reichmann.
Rumors about Alito, 76, potentially retiring have circulated due to his age, his two-decade tenure on the court, and speculation that he might wish to ensure a conservative successor is confirmed by the Republican-led Senate. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush in 2005.
However, sources have indicated that Alito is not stepping down this term. A source told Fox News Digital in April that Alito "is not stepping down this term and is in the process of hiring the rest of his clerks for the next term." Two other sources have corroborated that Alito is not retiring this term, which concludes in October.
President Donald Trump previously stated that he is "prepared" to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices if vacancies arise and mentioned having a shortlist of potential nominees. During an interview with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo, Trump commented that Alito is "in very good physical health" and described him as "one of the great justices of our time."