Samuel Alito was treated for dehydration after falling ill at event in March, Supreme Court says

Washington — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was treated for dehydration after falling ill at an event in Philadelphia on March 20, the court’s public information office said Friday.

“Out of an abundance of caution, he agreed with his security detail’s recommendation to see a physician before the three-hour drive home,” the office said in a statement. “After that examination and the administration of fluids for dehydration, he returned home that night, as previously planned.”

CNN revealed the incident in a report earlier Friday, saying Alito had been taken to the hospital for treatment. Alito was attending a Federalist Society event in Philadelphia, CNN said. The court said he was “thoroughly checked by his own physician” and returned to work as usual.

Alito, 76, has participated in oral arguments at the court in the two weeks since the episode, most recently on Wednesday, when the justices considered President Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship.

One of the court’s most conservative members, Alito was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2006, and is now the third-longest-serving justice currently on the court. 

Speculation about his possible retirement has swirled since Mr. Trump returned to office last year, and has ramped up heading into the midterm elections. If Democrats win control of the Senate, filling any vacancy would become extremely difficult once a new Congress convenes in January.