USA
Criticism of Supreme Court judge over controversial flags
Criticized for controversial flags: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Photo
© Jae C. Hong/AP/dpa
Samuel Alito is dealing with the question of whether Donald Trump enjoys criminal immunity at the US Supreme Court. Flags in front of his properties are now raising doubts about his neutrality.
The right-wing conservative judge Samuel Alito of the US Supreme Court is under criticism for another report that a flag associated with the storming of the Capitol was flown in front of his house.
Alito must recuse himself from all matters related to the attack on the House of Representatives, demanded the Democratic minority leader in the US House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, at a press conference. “He should have no part in it.”
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. In front of it flies a flag with a pine tree and the words “An Appeal to Heaven”. The symbolism goes back a long way in US history, but has recently been used primarily by ultra-right Christians. On January 6, 2021, some supporters of Donald Trump carried such a flag with them when they violently stormed the Capitol. The then-defeated Republican president had previously incited them by claiming that he had been robbed of victory by 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.