Alito warns Congress could 'turn off the lights' at the Supreme Court, says some lower-court judges 'have gone far astray'

Justice Samuel Alito warned Thursday that Congress has the power to cripple the Supreme Court by cutting off its money, and he urged Americans to protect the independence of the courts, Fox News Digital reports, citing The Hill.

"Congress can turn off the lights at the Supreme Court and stop everything from happening if they want to defund their activities. And there are many, many, many other things that they can do, or at least try to do," Alito said at the Federalist Society's Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner.

"So, it is important to preserve the independence of the judiciary," he said. "If that is eliminated, then the Constitution as adopted in 1789 will no longer be the same."

The warning lands a week after Democrats swept the midterms and took control of both chambers of Congress. While lawmakers control the court's budget, the Constitution bars them from cutting the justices' pay while they serve.

Alito also took aim at lower-court judges who have blocked presidents' policies with what he called "unjustified" orders. "They are dedicated, and they are skillful, but they're not perfect, and they make mistakes," he said. "And in some instances, I think they have gone far astray in abuse of their powers."

Alito, nominated by President George W. Bush, has served on the high court since 2006. He has said he is not retiring and is committed through the end of the current term.