{"id":2570818,"date":"2026-02-17T17:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T22:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rumors-swirl-about-potential-supreme-court-retirements\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T17:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T22:52:31","slug":"rumors-swirl-about-potential-supreme-court-retirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rumors-swirl-about-potential-supreme-court-retirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumors Swirl About Potential Supreme Court Retirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frumors-swirl-about-potential-supreme-court-retirements%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570818&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece uses a Civil War analogy\u2014George Thomas\u2019s stand at Chickamauga, earning him the nickname \u201cThe Rock of Chickamauga\u201d\u2014to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >frame modern political strategy<\/a> around the Supreme Court. It raises the possibility that conservative Justice Samuel Alito might retire before the 2026 midterms to allow Republicans to replace him while they control the Senate, a notion discussed by legal scholars Steve Vladeck and Melissa Murray who point to timing (such as an upcoming book) as a factor, though they acknowledge the risks. the article explores a broader dilemma: if Republicans lose the Senate, a future conservative nominee would likely need to be more moderate to win confirmation, given mixed conservative votes on recent confirmations like Kavanaugh and Barrett. It questions whether Alito\u2019s or Thomas\u2019s retirement would truly help conservatives, suggesting that handing the presidency a replacement who cannot secure Senate approval could backfire. Poll data are cited to illustrate the political headwinds: Quantus Insights shows waning support for Trump among younger voters (18\u201344), with Rasmussen reacting strongly to the numbers, signaling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-show-lockdowns-are-killing-more-people-than-the-virus\/\" title=\"How To Show Lockdowns Are Killing More People Than The Virus\">long-term<\/a> GOP vulnerabilities. The piece also notes the aging of several justices\u2014clarence Thomas turning 78, John Roberts 71, sonia Sotomayor 72\u2014implying a growing window for retirements but also uncertainty about outcomes. Ultimately, the author argues that calls for Alito or Thomas to retire before the midterms may grow, but it may be wiser for them to stay put rather than provide cover for a GOP that has struggled to govern.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>During the September 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, Union General George Thomas doggedly held his ground and covered the federal retreat. For that act of heroism amid a Confederate rout, Thomas earned the nickname &ldquo;The Rock of Chickamauga.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Such rearguard actions, of course, become necessary only when one expects defeat.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2026\/02\/16\/supreme-court-justice-samuel-alito-retirement-trump\/88710036007\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=offthepress&amp;utm_campaign=home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA Today<\/a>, legal observers have begun to speculate that conservative Supreme Court Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-implores-2-conservative-justices-remain-supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Samuel Alito<\/a> might perform a rearguard action of his own by stepping down from the high court before the 2026 midterm elections, thereby affording Republicans an opportunity to replace him while they still control the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Georgetown University law professor Steve Vladeck, for instance, noted the October publication date for Alito&rsquo;s forthcoming book, which Vladeck called &ldquo;a pretty big tell since one can&rsquo;t exactly go on a book tour during the first argument session of the term.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, New York University law professor Melissa Murray, co-host of the &ldquo;Strict Scrutiny&rdquo; podcast, observed that Alito has spent 20 years on the Supreme Court, and she called that &ldquo;usually a very good milestone on which to retire.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Naturally, that kind of speculation has us wondering about Alito&rsquo;s next move.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, will the reliably conservative 75-year-old justice continue serving on the Supreme Court beyond 2026? Or, will he follow General Thomas&rsquo; example and provide cover in case the anticipated GOP midterm retreat materializes?<\/p>\n<p>The dilemma, of course, is as follows: assuming Republicans lose the Senate in 2026 &mdash; not a foregone conclusion but certainly a possibility &mdash; President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cheaters-trump-says-voter-will-required-midterms-whether-congress-passes-save-act-not\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> would not be able to secure confirmation of a truly conservative Supreme Court nominee in 2027 and beyond. Should a vacancy arise, therefore, Trump would have to nominate a comparative moderate to win confirmation in a Democrat-controlled Senate.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, the president has a mixed record anyway when it comes to Supreme Court nominations. Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-supreme-court-justice-neil-gorsuch-tells-fox-news-greatest-danger-facing-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Neil Gorsuch<\/a>, of course, has proven largely reliable to conservatives. But Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/kavanaugh-coney-barrett-defect-allow-whole-class-guns-banned-multiple-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brett Kavanaugh<\/a>, and especially Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/supreme-court-justice-amy-coney-barrett-makes-troubling-concession-transgender-activists-oral-arguments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amy Coney Barrett<\/a>, have too often voted with the liberal minority.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, would we really want the conservative superstar Alito to retire <em>just in case<\/em> Republicans lose the Senate? And do we have any assurances that Trump, however well intended, would nominate a younger version of Alito? What if we get another Kavanaugh or Coney Barrett?<\/p>\n<p>Either way, the questions have relevance because the GOP&rsquo;s situation looks dire at the moment. We might as well tell the truth about it, since sugar-coating it only brings false comfort.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, pollster <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1oJf00_QCTUCxMvNoNnRMRKj97lQ5S5pP\/view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Quantus Insights<\/a> published the results of a poll conducted Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Among respondents in the 18-44 age group, Trump earned 27 percent approval compared to 72 percent disapproval.<\/p>\n<p>Now, we all know that in three consecutive elections, the president outperformed his poll numbers. Thus, if he happened to dismiss these numbers as &ldquo;fake polls,&rdquo; who could blame him?<\/p>\n<p>This time, however, things feel very different. Popular unrest, particularly in light of the Trump administration&rsquo;s botched handling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ceo-resigns-disturbing-jeffrey-epstein--comes-light-loved-torture-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shocking and sickening files<\/a> pertaining to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/actress-rose-mcgowan-suspended-from-twitter-after-criticizing-bill-clintons-friendship-with-jeffrey-epstein\/\" title=\"Actress Rose McGowan suspended from Twitter after criticizing Bill Clinton\u2019s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein\">notorious sex offender<\/a> and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, seems palpable online.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Mark Mitchell of the historically accurate (and Trump-friendly) pollster <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dont-believe-lying-anti-trump-polls-reality-just-beat-obamas-first-term-approval-numbers-rasmussen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rasmussen Reports<\/a>&nbsp;gasped at the results of the Quantus poll.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;DEAR GOD,&rdquo; Mitchell wrote Saturday on the social media platform X.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">DEAR GOD <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hRjB1srdjR\">https:\/\/t.co\/hRjB1srdjR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mark Mitchell, Rasmussen Reports (@honestpollster) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/honestpollster\/status\/2022900716453662885?\">February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>No doubt Mitchell reacted that way in part because the same Quantus poll from August showed younger people almost evenly split on Trump. Since then, the president&rsquo;s approval from the 18-44 age group has shifted 43 points to the negative.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the GOP has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-nba-is-investigating-after-g-league-player-jeremy-lin-says-he-was-called-coronavirus-on-court\/\" title=\"The NBA Is Investigating After G-League Player Jeremy Lin Says He Was Called \u2018Coronavirus\u2019 On Court\">long-term problem<\/a> that seemed unfathomable less than a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of long-term, conservative stalwart Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/clarence-thomas-declares-today-puts-end-universal-injunctions-monumental-win-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clarence Thomas<\/a> will turn 78 on June 23. Chief Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/roberts-coney-barrett-defect-force-trump-admin-spend-money-us-doesnt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Roberts<\/a>, a much less <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-americans-support-monthly-child-tax-credits-why-dont-republicans-in-congress\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: Americans Support Monthly Child Tax Credits. Why Don\u2019t ... In Congress?\">reliable conservative<\/a>, turned 71 last month. And on the liberal side, Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/first-barrett-now-even-sotomayor-embarrasses-ketanji-brown-jackson-opinion-scotus-ruling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sonia Sotomayor<\/a> will turn 72 in June. All other justices seem likely to serve well into the next decade.<\/p>\n<p>In short, calls for Alito or Thomas to perform their own rearguard action before the midterms likely will multiply.<\/p>\n<p>We should not forget, however, that General Thomas&rsquo; heroism at Chickamauga cost him neither his life nor his career. He lived to fight another day, and the Union eventually prevailed.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, to carry the analogy further, we have no guarantee that a sacrifice of that kind from either of the two staunch conservative justices would produce the desired outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, General Thomas fought to cover a retreating army. Alito and Justice Thomas, should either of them sacrifice their seats in hopes that conservatives may fight and win another day, would merely provide cover for a GOP that cannot seem to get its act together.<\/p>\n<p>Better, therefore, that Alito and Thomas should keep their seats than that conservatives should trust elected Republicans to solve a political problem of their own making.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, Union General George Thomas stubbornly held his ground to cover the withdrawal of his troops, a stand that earned him the nickname \u201cThe Rock of Chickamauga.\u201d Such rear-guard actions are only necessary when defeat seems likely.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; USA Today reports that some conservative legal observers are speculating that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito might resign before the 2026 midterm elections to give Republicans a chance to replace him while they still control the Senate. Georgetown Law professor Steve Vladeck noted the October release date of Alito\u2019s upcoming book as a strong hint, since a book tour would be unlikely during the term\u2019s first argument session. NYU Law professor Melissa Murray added that after twenty years on the Court, retirement is a common milestone.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The article then explores the political math: if Republicans lose the Senate in 2026, President Trump would have trouble getting a truly conservative nominee confirmed in the following years and might have to accept a more moderate judge who could win over a Democratic Senate. It notes that while Justice Neil Gorsuch has been reliably conservative, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and especially Amy Coney Barrett have sometimes sided with the liberal minority. The piece questions whether it would be wise to encourage a Alito-style retirement as a hedge, or whether Trump would nominate a younger, more conservative successor. In short, it argues that the GOP\u2019s position could be precarious, so the question of retirements has real political weight.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The analysis is reinforced by polling: a Quantus Insights survey conducted Thursday and Friday shows Trump with only 27% approval among 18- to 44-year-olds and 72% disapproval, a gap that signals a long-term GOP challenge. The poll\u2019s results elicited strong reactions from pollster Mark Mitchell, who lamented the numbers on social media. The article notes that younger voters were already leaning against Trump in an August survey, indicating a sustained shift that could complicate GOP prospects.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It also points out the aging of several key justices: Clarence Thomas will turn 78, Chief Justice John Roberts is 71, and Sonia Sotomayor will be 72; other justices are likely to serve well into the next decade. The piece suggests that calls for Alito or Thomas to retire before the midterms will likely grow, but it cautions that Thomas\u2019s own Chickamauga maneuver did not cost him his life or career, and there is no guarantee that a resignation by either justice would deliver the desired outcome. Rather than providing cover for a disorganized GOP, the article argues that it might be better for Alito and Thomas to stay in their seats.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Overall, the piece emphasizes a frank assessment of the GOP\u2019s current situation: while speculation about retirements is intriguing, there are no guarantees that leaving the bench would help Republicans in a politically and procedurally complex landscape<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-17T155820.281.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4151,5894,20848,7350,70735],"class_list":["post-2570818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-judiciary","tag-politics","tag-retirements","tag-rumors","tag-supreme-court-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-17T155820.281.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570818"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570822,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570818\/revisions\/2570822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}