Texas Sen. Ted Cruz dismissed rumors that conservative Associate Justice Samuel Alito will soon retire from the Supreme Court.
During an interview with the Washington Examiner discussing his podcast the Verdict, co-hosted by conservative commentator Michael Knowles, the Republican and former presidential candidate said he doesn’t believe the hype that Alito is eyeing retirement in the near future, noting that such conversations occur regularly at the end of Supreme Court terms.
“I don’t think it’ll happen. I’ve heard the same rumors. There’s chattering, and actually, to be fair, every June and July Washington is sort’ve consumed by those chattering rumors. So the Supreme Court term comes to an end, and everyone is like ‘All right, is there going to be vacancy,'” Cruz began, noting there are also rumors about conservative Associate Justice Clarence Thomas stepping down. “Personally, I don’t think either one is going to, but they might. Look, it’s a decision that each justice makes for his or herself.”
Cruz is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which handles executive and judicial nominations.
He also noted that rumors have circulated about liberal Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg resigning from the high court, but that she’s continually heard oral arguments even while hospitalized. Ginsburg, 87, has battled a series of illnesses as a Supreme Court justice but has maintained her judicial duties. In September 2019, she had a malignant tumor removed. In 1999 and 2009, she was treated for colon cancer and pancreatic cancer, respectively.
“She is tough as nails,” Cruz said. “Indestructible,” Knowles added.
“I don’t think Justice Ginsburg will voluntarily step down. I think the timing of her leaving the court is in the hands of the good Lord, that as long as she is able physically, she’ll be there. So my guess is I don’t think we’ll have a vacancy this year,” Cruz said.
In the interview, Cruz also said his upcoming book, One Vote Away, which he said is set for release in October, is a literary rendition of the topics he discusses on the Verdict, emphasizing how major decisions have been made by one critical vote.
President Trump has often touted his Supreme Court nominees, Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, and 200 federal judge appointments as a significant accomplishment in his administration. Cruz said that because the Supreme Court only takes a marginal amount of cases appealed to them, having justices confirmed by the Republican Senate resolves many cases in favor of conservative arguments.
