Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was hospitalized last month after becoming ill during a dinner in Philadelphia, CNN reports. According to the outlet, the incident happened at a Federalist Society dinner on March 20. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was taken to a hospital after becoming ill last month at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia, according to people with knowledge of the March 20 incident. https://t.co/mUa672ysFK pic.twitter.com/cT0BMo95Mk — CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2026 CNN has more: The justice was evaluated and administered fluids for dehydration. He returned to his home in Virginia that night with his security team. Alito and Supreme Court public information officials declined comment for the record about the episode, which has not been previously reported. In the two weeks since the incident, Alito has attended oral arguments and appeared healthy during the usual give-and-take with lawyers at the lectern. Alito, who turned 76 on Wednesday and has served as a justice for 20 years, has become the subject of widespread speculation from commentators across the ideological spectrum and the news media over whether he might retire. (He has refused to answer journalists’ questions on the subject.) Alito is the second-oldest justice on the high court. Speculation has built for months that Alito may retire during President Trump’s term, which would give the president the opportunity to appoint a fourth justice. Speculation Builds That Supreme Court Justice May Retire During President Trump’s Term Newsweek shared further: The institution has a history of withholding health information about its justices. Chief Justice John Roberts fell at a Maryland country club in June 2020, hit his head, and was taken by ambulance to a hospital—facts the court concealed until The Washington Post reported them. If Alito was to retire, it would hand Trump a fourth Supreme Court appointment, further cementing conservative control of the bench. Trump named three justices during his first term: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. A fourth vacancy would allow Trump to replace Alito with a younger conservative jurist, potentially reshaping the court's ideological balance for decades. Republicans maintain Senate control, which would streamline confirmation proceedings before the 2026 midterms—a political window legal observers say is narrowing as GOP prospects dim heading into the elections. Democrats need to gain a net of four seats to win a majority in the chamber, while Republicans can only lose two seats and retain control.