Samuel Alito staying on Supreme Court bench for another term after NPR erroneously reported his retirement

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed Friday he’s staying on the nation’s highest court, weeks after a swell of speculation about a possible retirement.

“Obviously, I’m here for another term,” Alito, 76, said in an interview published in The Wall Street Journal’s editorial section.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito attends a meeting on September 20, 2025, in Rome. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Discussion of Alito’s future hit a fever pitch in June, when a mistake by a veteran Supreme Court reporter at National Public Radio resulted in the erroneous publication of a previously prepared retirement story.

The story was quickly retracted and the court confirmed it was inaccurate, but that did not stop the talk about what Alito might do.

A retirement would likely have given Republican President Donald Trump a chance to name a fourth Supreme Court justice.

In a rare interview in his chambers, Alito also discussed the state of the court, rejecting the idea that political partisanship affects his decisions.

“I vote in every case the way I think the case should be decided,” he said. “If that means a high correlation with what Trump wants, fine.

“If it means zero correlation with what Trump wants, fine as well.”