After Upside-Down U.S. Flag & Ethics Controversies, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, 74, Reportedly Considering Retirement

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is reportedly contemplating retirement amid the pushback and criticism he has faced in recent months.

Alito, 74, has found himself at the center of several controversies, but the most hot-button issue has been his household flying an upside-down U.S. flag in January 2021, a symbol associated with the “Stop the Steal” campaign aimed at overturning the 2020 election results. Alito has insisted that the flag was flown by his wife in response to a feud with neighbors, but the explanation has been met with skepticism.

Alito also faced criticism for his role in a Supreme Court ruling that overturned a federal appeals court decision in Louisiana. The previous ruling had concluded that interactions between social media companies and the federal government under President Biden likely violated the First Amendment and should be curtailed, but in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court led by Justice Elena Kagan, this ruling was rejected. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson did not side with the other traditionally conservative justices and left Alito.

Additionally, Alito saw himself on the losing side in the Court’s decision to allow Texas councilwoman Sylvia Gonzalez to sue over what she said was a politically motivated arrest after she had criticized her local mayor. There were claims that Alito had seen the decision taken from him, based on the fact that his concurring opinion was far longer than the decision of the majority.

These controversies, along with issues surrounding gifts Alito accepted from a billionaire, have all led to calls for his impeachment on social media.

According to the new CNN report, Alito “has reflected in private about retirement,” and cited sources “inside and outside the court with knowledge of the deliberations.”

Alito will long be remember as the author of the Dobbs decision which overturned the national right to an abortion in the U.S. and his opposition to same-sex marriage.