The right-wing conservative Justice Samuel Alito of the US Supreme Court is being criticized for another report that a flag was said to have been flown in front of his house that is associated with the storming of the Capitol.
Alito must withdraw from all matters related to the attack on the House of Representatives, the Democratic minority leader in the US House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, demanded at a press conference. “He shouldn’t have any part in this.”
The New York Times published photos on Wednesday that reportedly show the judge’s vacation home in the US state of New Jersey last summer. A flag with a pine tree and the words “An Appeal to Heaven” flies in front of it. The symbolism goes back a long time in US history, but has most recently been used primarily by ultra-right Christians. On January 6, 2021, some supporters of Donald Trump were carrying such a flag when they violently stormed the Capitol. The then-elected Republican president had previously incited them by claiming that he had been robbed of his victory through massive fraud.
Doubts about Alito’s impartiality
Last week, the New York Times reported on an upside-down US flag that was said to have been hoisted in front of Alito’s house in Alexandria (Virginia) on January 17, 2021 – a few days after the Capitol storm . This symbolism is also used by Trump’s supporters and played a role in the riots. According to Alito’s statement to the newspaper, his wife flew the upside-down flag as a result of a political dispute between neighbors. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called this “not good judgment.”
To this day, Trump refuses to admit his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. A case is currently underway against the Republican for his role in connection with the storming of the Capitol. The Supreme Court is currently considering the question of whether Trump can claim immunity from prosecution in this and other court cases. Critics say the existence of the flags outside Alito’s homes violates ethics rules for judges and sows doubt about Alito’s impartiality.
