Justice Alito treated for dehydration after Philadelphia event, court says

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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito fell ill at an event in Philadelphia last month and received treatment for dehydration before returning home to suburban Washington, the court’s spokeswoman said Friday.

Patricia McCabe said in a statement that Alito’s illness did not require an overnight hospital stay and that he was back on the bench the following Monday.

McCabe said Alito was treated after he did not feel well in the evening, and that he agreed to see a physician before making the three-hour drive home to northern Virginia. She said he was given fluids for dehydration.

Before and after the illness, Alito continued to participate in the court’s work, including being an active questioner during arguments on the day of the Philadelphia event, in an important case involving mailed ballots. McCabe said he took part in all hearings over the ensuing two weeks.

Alito turned 76 on Wednesday and is the second-oldest member of the court, behind Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 77.

The episode was first reported by CNN, which also said Alito’s treatment was administered at a Philadelphia hospital. The court, McCabe said, did not disclose where he was taken.

The court’s statement came amid long-running questions about how much the justices choose to discuss their health publicly, with disclosures often arriving only after news reports surface. The AP story noted that in 2020, the court confirmed that Chief Justice John Roberts spent a night in the hospital after a fall that required stitches in his forehead only after the Washington Post reported it first.

Alito was driven by his security detail from Washington to a dinner following a Federalist Society panel that discussed his 20 years on the court, according to McCabe’s statement. When he did not feel well during the evening, McCabe said he agreed to see a physician before traveling back.

While Alito has not said anything about retirement, speculation has persisted that he could step down, potentially allowing President Donald Trump to appoint another justice. Such a move would depend on the timing of any departure and the confirmation prospects in the Senate after the election cycle, the AP story said.