Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said in a rare televised interview on Sunday that he deliberately pays little attention to President Trump's repeated compliments of him or the president's recent broadsides against other members of the Court. Speaking with Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Alito said he simply "puts all of that out of my mind" and trusts his colleagues do the same.
But the conservative jurist expressed deeper unease about the wider climate of political attacks on the judiciary. "I am concerned about the escalation in public rhetoric in general and about the things that people in important positions say about the Supreme Court as a whole and about individual justices," Alito said. He warned that if the Court loses the confidence of the American people, the consequences would be "very deleterious" for the institution's long-term standing.
His comments come as Trump has escalated his criticism of the three justices he appointed—Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh—accusing them of betraying him on key rulings. In a recent Time interview, Trump said he regretted appointing them, claiming they "voted against me too often." After the Court blocked his administration's mail voting plan, Trump took to Truth Social to call them "a shell of their original selves" and charged that their rulings were "costing the United States Trillions of Dollars."
Notably, Trump has singled out Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas for praise, calling them "legends" and applauding Alito's dissenting opinions. Alito also authored the Court's landmark decision that curtailed part of the Voting Rights Act, a ruling Trump has lauded.
Alito's remarks about the broader threat to the Court's credibility follow testimony from Justices Barrett and Elena Kagan in July, who told lawmakers that the Court needs additional funding to protect justices and their families from a surge in threats. That security concern has become a recurring theme as public anger over rulings like the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade has intensified.
In a separate interview with CBS News this week, Alito revealed he had considered retiring at the end of the last term. He also defended his role in the abortion decision, saying it took "courage" to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. On Fox, Alito said he was "not surprised" by the backlash, explaining that he anticipated anger from those who believe strongly in abortion rights. "I didn't anticipate the particulars, what forms that reaction would take—the most extreme forms," he added.
The justice's comments arrive as the Court faces a series of politically charged cases, including a pending decision on whether oil giants must face climate deception lawsuits—a case that could have major implications for both energy policy and the Court's relationship with the executive branch. Alito's public statements, while rare, underscore growing anxiety among the justices about the institution's ability to remain above the partisan fray.
Political observers note that Alito's decision to speak out—even in friendly forums—signals a Court increasingly willing to defend itself against external pressure. Whether that strategy will shore up public trust or further politicize the judiciary remains an open question as the 2024 election cycle intensifies.
