Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, one of the high court’s conservative justices, is considering retirement, according to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“The stronger rumor is that Justice Alito is going to quit, Justice Thomas will never to quit,” Hewitt told Washington Post reporter Robert Costa Wednesday during his radio show, “The Hugh Hewitt Show” when Costa discussed potential replacements for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should he retire first.
Costa on Wednesday in a Washington Post piece said Thomas "is privately seen by Trump’s aides as the most likely to retire this year.”
“And Justice Alito opens up the opportunity to put on Ray Kethledge again or David Strauss or Don Willett. … The buzz is his wife hates Washington, D.C., more than my wife does, which means she’s a 12 on a scale of 10,” Hewitt added.
Rumors of Thomas’ departure have swirled since Trump won the 2016 presidential election, particularly after the retirement of former Justice Anthony Kennedy in June 2018.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell already has a replacement in mind should Thomas retire before the 2020 election, according to Costa.
One outside adviser to Trump suggested the Kentucky Republican favors 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amul Thapar, saying, “If Thomas goes, you’ve got a lot of people around this process ready to support Thapar — and McConnell ready to move his favorite through.”