President Donald Trump celebrated Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s decision to remain on the bench for another term in a late-night social media post. Trump’s celebration of the 76-year-old conservative stalwart’s decision to put off retirement comes as the midterms raise the stakes over how long Republicans will retain the Senate majority needed to confirm any eventual successor.

Alito’s Decision

Alito confirmed last week that he plans to remain on the nation’s highest court for its coming term, batting down months of speculation that he could retire while Trump is in the White House and Republicans still control the Senate. The Supreme Court’s next term begins in October and typically concludes with its final opinions in late June or early July.

Alito and fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, have faced some calls from conservatives to step down, which would give Trump one potential last chance to appoint a fourth Supreme Court justice to the lifetime post. Trump appointed three others during his first term in office – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett – giving the court a 6-3 conservative majority that has issued a series of major rulings since 2020.

Implications

The window to replace one of the court’s oldest conservative justices with a younger jurist who could potentially remain on the bench for decades might narrow considerably after November. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate advantage, counting the two independents who caucus with Democrats on the Democratic side.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.