Justice Samuel Alito Taken to Hospital in Previously Undisclosed Incident

 Justice Samuel Alito Taken to Hospital in Previously Undisclosed Incidente

Why Justice Alito Was Hospitalized Last Month

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was taken to a hospital after becoming ill during a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia last month, according to people familiar with the March 20 incident, which had not been previously reported.

The justice was evaluated and received fluids for dehydration. He returned to his home in Virginia that same night with his security detail.

In the weeks since the episode, Alito has participated in oral arguments and appeared healthy during exchanges with attorneys at the Supreme Court.

Alito, who turned 76 on Wednesday and has served on the Court for 20 years, has faced widespread speculation from commentators across the ideological spectrum about whether he might retire. He has declined to answer questions on the matter.

Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe confirmed the details in a statement: “On the evening of Friday, March 20, Justice Alito felt ill during an event in Philadelphia. Out of an abundance of caution, he agreed with his security detail’s recommendation to see a physician before the three-hour drive home. After that examination and the administration of fluids for dehydration, he returned home that night, as previously planned. Justice Alito was thoroughly checked by his own physician and returned to work the following Monday for oral arguments.”

Health information about the justices—who hold lifetime appointments and serve as the final interpreters of the Constitution—has historically been difficult to obtain. The Supreme Court previously withheld details about Chief Justice John Roberts falling at a country club in June 2020 and injuring his head until the incident was reported by the Washington Post.

If Alito were to retire, the vacancy would give President Donald Trump a fourth opportunity to appoint a justice to the nine-member Court. Trump nominated three justices during his first term.

Close friends of Alito have told CNN he has contemplated retirement, though no decision appears imminent.

Alito Remains Influential on the Bench

Alito has been one of the most consistent supporters of Trump’s policies in high-profile litigation. During Wednesday’s oral arguments on birthright citizenship, he appeared more receptive than some of his colleagues to the administration’s efforts to challenge the longstanding constitutional principle of citizenship for those born in the United States.

Appointed by President George W. Bush in January 2006, Alito has become one of the Court’s most influential members. He authored the 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade and has played a key role in voting rights cases.

On March 20, Alito became ill at a dinner following a Federalist Society symposium held in his honor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. His security detail took him to a local hospital. The event, titled “An Examination of the Jurisprudence of Samuel Alito,” featured former law clerks, law professors, and attorneys who argue before the Supreme Court. It was closed to the news media but available via livestream. Alito was not on the program for the daytime symposium.

That morning, the Supreme Court had been in session handing down opinions. Alito, who was not on the bench, had traveled to Philadelphia with his security team.

Dean Reuter, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, did not respond to requests for comment.

The evening before the incident, on March 19, Alito had attended a separate dinner in Washington, D.C., honoring Notre Dame law professor Sherif Girgis, a former Alito clerk who received the Edwin Meese Originalism Award. Girgis also spoke at the March 20 symposium in Philadelphia but did not respond to inquiries from CNN.