Some Republicans are calling for Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas to step down before the 2026 midterm elections, so President Trump can appoint two younger conservative Justices to the Court.
When Trump himself was asked for comment, he said: "I hope they stay. Cause I think they’re fantastic."
Both conservative justices are the oldest members of the Court, with Thomas at age 77, and Alito at age 75.
Clarence Thomas specifically is recognized as one of the most conservative (and one of the more intelligent) justices on the Court, and a replacement who would be able to fill his shoes is unlikely. Some of Trump's recent appointments, most notably Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, have received flak for occasionally voting against the administration in Supreme Court cases. Trying to prematurely replace Justice Thomas seems an unwise decision.
In 2020, several Democrats demanded that Thomas step down after he refused to recuse himself from a case involving the January 6th Capitol riot. Justice Thomas' wife, Ginni Thomas, had sent text messages to the then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, imploring him to challenge Donald Trump's 2020 election loss.
Replacing Thomas would be a massive win for Democrats.
Justice Alito, for his part, has no plans to retire.
"Despite what some people may think, this is a man who has never thought about this job from a political perspective," a person close to Alito told the Wall Street Journal shortly after the 2024 presidential election. "The idea that he’s going to retire for political considerations is not consistent with who he is."
