Justice Samuel Alito, a consistently reliable vote for conservative causes, has announced that he does not plan to retire before the Supreme Court finishes its upcoming session. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Alito stated, “Obviously I’m here for another term.”

Alito’s Decision

Alito’s comments put to rest, for now, long-running questions about whether the 76-year-old jurist would step down to give President Donald Trump the opportunity to appoint an ideologically similar, yet younger, replacement while the Senate is controlled by Republicans.

Alito, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, has been a key figure in several major rulings, including those upholding the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives and expanding executive power. He has also been a strong supporter of pro-life advocates and has ruled in favor of conservative interests in several high-profile cases.

Independence

Despite his consistent support for conservative causes, Alito emphasized his independence as a member of the court. “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.”

Alito also expressed his commitment to deciding cases based on his own judgment, rather than trying to appease others. “I’m not going to do that,” he said. “I’m going to decide them all the way that I think they should be decided. I explain why I’ve done it. People can agree, people can disagree.”

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.