Samuel Alito warns ‘concerted’ effort to intimidate Supreme Court threatens its future

Justice Samuel Alito warned Sunday against a coordinated effort to intimidate the Supreme Court, which he said threatens the high court’s future as justices face threats and public pressure related to the rulings handed down.Alito, 76, sat down with Fox News Sunday to promote his book, So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of the Constitution, the Court, and Our Country, which was released this month. The conservative justice discussed lawmakers’ efforts to expand the Supreme Court, as well as the violent public rhetoric about the court and its members. Recommended Stories “There has been a concerted effort to intimidate the court and justices on the court to try to influence us to decide cases differently from the way in which we have been deciding them, and I am concerned about the future of the court. I think it’s an important institution,” he said. “It has not always done the right thing, but I think on the whole, it has been fundamental in protecting our constitutional structure and the rights that all Americans enjoy.” The Supreme Court has had nine justices since 1869. Some Democrats, led by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), have backed legislation to expand the number to 13. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is viewed as a possible 2028 presidential contender, is among the prominent figures on the Left who have voiced some support for the idea. Other reforms for the court that have been floated include term and age limits.Alito said he is aware of those discussions and is “concerned” but added that he and his fellow justices do not discuss the topic.During the interview, Alito was asked about public figures discussing the court and reacting to its rulings, including a clip of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) telling Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch they “will pay” for efforts to roll back abortion rights.Alito’s concerns are not unfounded, as threats to members in recent history have raised alarm about justices’ safety. In June 2022, a man traveled from California to Kavanaugh’s home in Maryland with a handgun, ammunition, a knife, and zip ties, intending to kill the justice. Justice Amy Coney Barrett was more recently targeted in an apparent “swatting” incident at her Virginia home.President Donald Trump has also spoken publicly about the high court’s rulings, particularly bashing justices for ruling against him. While the court was weighing the president’s challenge to birthright citizenship, he took to social media to bash the justices’ previous rulings against him, warning them, “Don’t do it again!”