Justice Samuel Alito of the Supreme Court was urged to apologize on Friday by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for “disrespecting” the American flag.
“Samuel Alito should apologize immediately for disrespecting the American flag and sympathizing with right-wing violent insurrectionists,” Jeffries stated on Friday.
“He must recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 election and former President Trump,” the New York Democrat added.” Congress should immediately consider legislation to impose an ethical code of conduct on a runaway Supreme Court. The Constitution demands and the American people deserve more from a justice serving on the highest court in the land than baseless election denial.”
Jeffries’ remarks come in response to a New York Times story published on Thursday regarding an American flag flown at Alito’s Alexandria, Virginia, house in January 2021 that was inverted.
The American flag upside-down is a symbol associated with the “Stop the Steal” movement, which is based on false allegations of electoral fraud.
Alito has stated that the flag was the creation of his wife, Martha-Ann Alito.
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“I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Alito stated. “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
Following the revelation of the flag, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) demanded that Alito withdraw from all cases pertaining to January 6, 2021, and the 2020 election.
“Flying an upside-down American flag — a symbol of the so-called ‘Stop the Steal’ movement — clearly creates the appearance of bias,” Durbin stated.
“Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former President’s immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering,” he further continued.
