The Supreme Court opens a new term Monday with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito positioned to push American law still further right on guns, voting, immigration and religion in public life. The two eldest members of the court are showing no interest in retirement, presumably because reshaping constitutional doctrine is easier when nobody can tell you the meeting should have been an email.
Thomas, 78, and Alito, 76, once wrote dissents from the conservative edge. Since the court acquired a 6-3 conservative majority in 2020, many of their long-running positions have moved closer to the center of the institution.
A docket built for ideological ambition
The term includes disputes over assault-style rifle bans, proof-of-citizenship voting rules, immigrant detention and religious claims involving public programs. Each case has its own law and facts, but together they offer opportunities to revisit precedents and narrow government authority.
Reuters found that Thomas and Alito supported every major Trump administration policy that reached the court last term, a more consistent record than the three justices Trump appointed.
Lifetime tenure keeps the timeline flexible
Conservative activists have periodically urged one or both justices to retire while a Republican president and Senate could replace them. Neither has signaled a departure. Alito has a book arriving October 6, which is not usually how people announce they are clearing the desk.
Reuters examined their influence and the new term on October 3, 2026. The robe may be black, but the direction of travel is increasingly written in permanent marker.
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