Justice Samuel Alito, age 76, directly addressed retirement speculation in an August 2026 Wall Street Journal interview by stating he is “here for another term,” following an erroneous late-June NPR report that briefly fueled rumors before its retraction. Traders weigh this explicit signal against strategic considerations, including the potential for a conservative successor appointment while Republicans control the White House and Senate, ahead of the Supreme Court’s October 2026 term start and the November midterms. No other official announcements, health updates, or confirmation hearing timelines have emerged. Prediction markets reflect low near-term probabilities, consistent with historical patterns where justices rarely time departures without clear institutional or partisan alignment.