Justice Alito tells allies he won't retire despite Democrats' Senate win
The gist
Justice Samuel Alito has told people close to him he won't retire immediately, after Democrats won the Senate.
His exit would have let Trump name another justice; that window now looks closed.
How it unfolded
- Feb 25, 2026A commentary piece predicts Alito won't retire this year; two of three former Supreme Court clerks at a conference agreed he's not going anywhere, at least for now.
- Apr 17, 2026Fox News reports, later confirmed by CBS News' Jan Crawford, that Alito doesn't plan to retire this year.
- Oct 6, 2026Alito tells Bloomberg News he won't retire during the lame-duck session even if Democrats win the Senate, saying: "I intend to stick around through this term."