Alito Rules Out Retirement at 76 as GOP Senate Loss Jeopardizes 28 Court Vacancies
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Nov 10
Alito Rules Out Retirement at 76 as GOP Senate Loss Jeopardizes 28 Court Vacancies
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 10
Summary
Samuel Alito, 76, told Fox News he has no plans to retire and expects to serve through at least the current Supreme Court term, which runs until late June or early July.
Democrats are set to take the Senate in January, sharply narrowing Donald Trump's path to replace any departing conservative justice and complicating his broader effort to reshape the federal bench.
The immediate backlog is 28 federal judicial vacancies, with 16 Trump nominees still awaiting confirmation before Republicans lose control of the chamber.
Analysts cited in the report said even a retirement announced now would be hard to convert into a confirmed Supreme Court replacement before January, given the Senate calendar and uncertain GOP support.
The stakes are amplified by the court's 6-3 conservative majority and by the precedent of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's delayed retirement, which ultimately helped Trump install Amy Coney Barrett in 2020.