Senate Dems Want to Speak with Sam Alito’s Manager, Request Meeting with Chief Justice to Discuss Flag ‘Crisis’
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Two Senate Democrats want to speak with Justice Sam Alito’s manager.
Senate Majority Whip and Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) requested a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts to discuss the “Supreme Court’s ethics crisis” in a new letter addressed to the chief.
“We write regarding recent New York Times reports that an upside-down American flag was displayed in Justice Samuel Alito’s yard in January 2021 and another flag associated with the January 6th attack on the Capitol was flown at another of Justice Alito’s residences in the summer of 2023,” began Durbin and Whitehouse.
They continued:
For the following reasons, we urge you to immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that Justice Alito will recuse himself in any cases related to the 2020 presidential election and January 6th attack on the Capitol, including the question of former President Trump’s immunity from prosecution for his role in the events of January 6th in Trump v. United States. We also renew our call for the Supreme Court to adopt an enforceable code of conduct for justices. And we request a meeting with you as soon as possible, in your capacity as Chief Justice and as presiding officer of the Judicial Conference of the United States, to discuss additional steps to address the Supreme Court’s ethics crisis.
According to Alito, the upside down flag reported on by the Times was flown by Alito’s wife amidst a dispute with neighbors over a “Fuck Trump” sign placed near a school bus stop. The second symbol called a “Jan. 6 symbol” by the Times is the Appeal to Heaven flag, which was designed by George Washington’s private secretary Joseph Reed and flown by the father of the country during the American Revolution.
“Until the Court and the Judicial Conference take meaningful action to address this ongoing ethical crisis, we will continue our efforts to enact legislation to resolve this crisis,” concluded Durbin and Whitehouse.
