Samuel Alito puts an end to months of speculation and confirms he will remain on the Supreme Court

Samuel Alito confirmed that he will remain on the Supreme Court. The justice made this statement in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, following months of speculation about a possible retirement.

Speculation about his future began when he announced the launch of his first book: “So Ordered: An Originalist's View of the Constitution, the Court, and Our Country.” The book is scheduled for release on Oct. 6, just days after the start of another Supreme Court term. Consequently, many analysts and even lawmakers speculated that Alito was planning to retire and embark on a book tour.

However, Alito took it upon himself to put those rumors to rest in the aforementioned interview with the WSJ: "Obviously I’m here for another term." "It’s not pleasant, in the sense that it’s a reminder of mortality. It’s like, what are those vultures doing up there? They are flying around. But it goes with life tenure," he added.

In addition, the veteran justice spoke about his voting criteria on the nation's highest court. "I vote in every case the way I think the case should be decided. If that means a high correlation with what Trump wants, fine. If it means zero correlation with what Trump wants, fine as well," he said.

The justice also noted that he would not change the outcome of his decisions to align with public opinion. He described that practice as "absolutely wrong" and noted that some people have recommended he do so, but he assured that he will not follow that advice.

Alito is the second-oldest justice on the court, behind only Clarence Thomas. He was nominated in 2005 by President George W. Bush and is currently 76 years old. Since 1970, the average retirement age for justices has been 79.