President Trump hails Alito as 'one of the greatest of all time' after decision to stay on SCOTUS

President Donald Trump praised Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito late Monday night and his decision to remain on the Supreme Court for another term amid rumors about a possible retirement, stating that the justice was "one of the greatest of all time." 

Rumors of a planned Alito retirement have circulated for years, though they gained steam in recent months, culminating in an erroneous NPR article that announced his retirement prematurely. Alito rejected the rumors last week, stating he was at least staying around for the upcoming term.

"Great news for our Country! Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has announced that he is staying for another term," Trump posted to Truth Social. "He is one of the Greatest of All Time. We are all lucky!"

Alito, who is currently the second-oldest Supreme Court justice on the bench, never indicated that he would step down, but the possibility was floated earlier this year that Trump could pick a replacement and get them confirmed while Republicans still control the Senate. 

Rumors also floated earlier this year that conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 78-years-old and the oldest justice, could step down.

Trump's praise comes after Alito claimed the president's influence had no impact on his decisions on the high court, despite his recent votes favoring the president.

“I vote in every case the way I think the case should be decided," Alito told the Wall Street Journal. "If that means a high correlation with what Trump wants, fine. If it means zero correlation with what Trump wants, fine as well."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.