Liberals lost the Supreme Court for decades to come

Alito has never spoken publicly about his possible retirement, as is typical for judges. But when he was secretly recorded earlier this year, many court observers took note of his wife's suggestion that he might not be on the court much longer. “I want a Sacred Heart flag because I have to look across the lagoon at the Pride flag for the next month,” Martha-Ann Alito said in the recordings, referring to controversy over flying flags at her home and her conversations with her husband about it. “I said, 'When you're free of this nonsense, I'll tell it.'”

Thomas, for his part, apparently hopes to stay on the pitch as long as possible. The New York Times reported in 1993 that he had told one of his clerks that he planned to work on the court until 2034. When asked why this year, Thomas answered straight to the point. “The Liberals have made my life difficult for 43 years, and I will make their life difficult for 43 years,” he reportedly said.

Even before Tuesday, the legal record for the Democrats was bleak. The three justices appointed by Trump in his first term were young in the legal sense: Justice Neil Gorsuch was 49 at the time of his confirmation, Brett Kavanaugh was 53, and Amy Coney Barrett was 48. All three could easily serve into the 2060s The Supreme Court has been in office for years, and replacing older justices meant Democrats already faced a difficult path to handing the court to liberals within the next 10 to 15 years. This time horizon is now closer to 30 or 40 years.