Supreme Court Justices Alito, Thomas not expected to retire this year: Sources
Alito intends to continue serving into at least 2027, sources said.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, the subject of intensifying speculation about a potential retirement before the midterm elections, is not expected to leave the bench this year, sources close to the justice have told ABC News.
Alito, 76, has been hiring clerks for next term and intends to continue serving into at least 2027, the sources who have spoken to Alito told ABC.
Fox News first reported the justice's intentions.
Alito has remained an active and engaged participant in the court's work, even after he was briefly hospitalized earlier this year for a health scare of undisclosed origin.
The staunch conservative, arguably best known for authoring the landmark 2022 opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, had been widely rumored to be contemplating retirement given his age and the likelihood he could easily be replaced by a jurist of similar judicial philosophy given the Trump presidency and Republican control of the Senate.
Alito's apparent decision to remain -- which could change at any time -- takes off the table a high-stakes, high-profile confirmation battle on the eve of the midterm elections.
The court's most senior member -- 77-year-old conservative Justice Clarence Thomas -- is also expected to remain on the bench, sources have told ABC.
Thomas continues to love the work, sources close to him have said, and in the next few years will eclipse the record for longest-serving justice in American history.
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