Alito not expected to retire this term, cooling Supreme Court vacancy speculation: sources
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is not expected to step down this term and has already hired all four law clerks for the upcoming annual term, multiple sources said, despite...
By Fox News · Fox News
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is not expected to step down this term and has already hired all four law clerks for the upcoming annual term, multiple sources said, despite speculation that the high court justice was weighing retirement. Alito "is not stepping down this term and is in the process of hiring the rest of his clerks for the next term," a source told Fox News Digital. Two other sources told Fox News that Alito is not retiring this term, which lasts until the Supreme Court's new year kicks off in October. Justices tend to hire their clerks two to three years in advance, although that process is not necessarily indicative of a justice's retirement plans. The revelation that Alito is reportedly not planning to step down comes after President Donald Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo he is "prepared" to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices if vacancies arise. Trump added that he has a shortlist of nominees in mind, though he did not mention any names. TRUMP REVEALS HE HAS MULTI-PICK SCOTUS PLAN READY AS RETIREMENT SPECULATION HEATS UP "In theory, it's two or three, they tell me — if you just read statistics — it could be two, could be three, could be one," Trump told Bartiromo. "I don't know. I'm prepared to do it. But when you mention Alito, he is a great justice." Trump said he thinks Alito, who has sided with him on most high-profile cases, is "in very good physical health" and called him "one of the great justices of our time." "Justice Alito is an unbelievable justice," Trump said. JONATHAN TURLEY: KAMALA HARRIS BACKS RADICAL PLAN TO BLOCK TRUMP SCOTUS PICKS Rumors about Alito, 76, potentially retiring have grown because of his age, his two-decade tenure on the bench and speculation that he may want to make sure a conservative successor is confirmed by the current Republican-led Senate before the upcoming midterm elections . Former President George W. Bush nominated him for the nation's highest court in 2005. The rumors were further fue…