# Samuel Alito warns Democrats could ‘turn off the lights’ at Supreme Court by cutting funding

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/samuel-alito-warns-democrats-could-turn-off-the-lights-at-supreme-court-by-cutting-funding/
- Published: 2026-11-13T14:24:41+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T15:38:10+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/13/us-news/alito-warns-democrats-could-turn-off-the-lights-at-the-supreme-court-by-cutting-its-funding/
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Alito says budget cuts could disrupt the Supreme Court.
- Congress controls court operations funding, but not sitting justices’ salaries.
- He also accused some lower-court judges of overstepping.

## Summary

Justice Samuel Alito warned that Congress could disrupt the Supreme Court’s work by cutting its funding, arguing that the judiciary depends on the other branches and is vulnerable to pressure. His remarks have renewed concerns about judicial independence amid proposals from some Democrats to change how the court operates.

Alito spoke at the Federalist Society’s annual Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner, though he did not directly refer to the midterm elections. Congress controls the court’s operating budget, while justices’ salaries are constitutionally protected during their time in office; in 2023, Democratic senators proposed withholding $10 million until the court adopted stronger ethics rules. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, and Alito also criticised lower-court judges for what he described as overreach.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.