Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Oct. 6 that he plans to remain on the court through the end of its current term next June, ruling out a retirement during the congressional lame-duck session after the November midterm elections. “I intend to stick around through this term,” Alito, 76, said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “I made that decision many months ago.” The court’s new term began Oct. 5. Alito, the second-oldest justice, had said in a CBS News interview the previous week that he had considered retiring this year and would revisit the question in 2027. His decision comes as control of the Senate is expected to be closely contested. Democrats would need to gain at least four seats to take control, and several races are competitive, including in states that President Donald Trump won decisively in 2024. A vacancy during the lame-duck period could have given Trump an opportunity to nominate a successor before the next Congress is sworn in. Senate candidates have already raised the possibility as a campaign issue. Ohio Democratic Senate nominee Sherrod Brown said in a Monday blog post that the state’s race could help determine who fills a lifetime appointment to the high court, and whether the Senate would approve a Trump nominee. The confirmation stakes reflect the 2016 precedent: Senate Republicans declined to act on Democratic President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, leaving the seat open for Trump to fill after he took office.