President Donald Trump publicly celebrated Justice Samuel Alito's decision not to retire from the Supreme Court, praising him in a late-night social media post as "one of the greatest of all time." The announcement matters because it removes, for now, the prospect of Trump having to secure a Senate confirmation for a replacement conservative justice during a politically sensitive period ahead of the midterm elections.

Alito, 76, is one of the court's more senior conservative justices, and speculation had mounted over whether he or fellow conservative Clarence Thomas might step down to allow Trump to nominate a younger successor while Republicans hold their Senate majority. Trump has separately indicated he is "prepared" to nominate new justices should vacancies arise, underlining the high stakes both parties attach to the court's composition as control of the Senate remains uncertain beyond the upcoming midterms.