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Alito Dismisses Retirement Rumors, Commits to New Term

8/8/2026

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Summary

Alito Stays

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito announced on Aug. 7 that he will remain on the Court for another term.
Alito said rumors of his retirement, which NPR reported on June 30 and then retracted, are “not pleasant” and likened them to “vultures” reminding him of mortality.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called the donor-funded Alaska fishing trip Alito took “improper.”
The Court is in summer recess and will resume arguments in October.

Summary

Alito Book Release

Justice Samuel Alito's book *So Ordered* will be published on October 6.
Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said in April he could push Senator Ted Cruz or Senator Mike Lee as a replacement before the November midterms.
President Donald Trump told Breitbart News in July he is “certainly prepared” for a vacancy.
CNN reported Justice Samuel Alito was hospitalized for dehydration in March after falling ill at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia.

History

Historical Context

After Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her July 1, 2005 retirement, President George W. Bush first nominated John Roberts, then Harriet Miers, before naming Third-Circuit Judge Samuel Alito on October 31, 2005. Alito’s 58-42 Senate confirmation cemented a conservative shift that echoes today’s partisan calls to replace him, illustrating how a single vacancy can reshape the Court’s balance.

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Alito Stays

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito announced on Aug. 7 that he will remain on the Court for another term.
Alito said rumors of his retirement, which NPR reported on June 30 and then retracted, are “not pleasant” and likened them to “vultures” reminding him of mortality.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called the donor-funded Alaska fishing trip Alito took “improper.”
The Court is in summer recess and will resume arguments in October.

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