Alito says he 'thought about' retiring last term and will weigh it every year
Justice Samuel Alito told CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford that he thought about retiring during the term that ended in July but decided to stay because he believed he could still make a valuable contribution. He said he will revisit the question each term and gave no departure date. He acknowledged that waiting carries risks for his work, but said neither his personal circumstances nor the politics of a future vacancy can be predicted. Excerpts were released Friday, with more of the interview following. Separately, NPR retracted an earlier report that he had announced his retirement and apologized to him.
Alito is 76. A vacancy while Republicans hold the Senate would let President Trump name a younger successor; a vacancy after a change in Senate control would be a different fight.
A seat on the Court is a decades-long decision. The midterms in four weeks decide which Senate would confirm a successor.
Read 'every year' as 'not this year.' The window that matters is next summer, after the term ends and before the 2028 campaign.
DailyDrop U.S. No. 1 · October 5, 2026