The Supreme Court's series of scandals continues. This time in focus: the arch-conservative judge Samuel Alito and an upside-down flag in his front yard. This is considered a symbol of the “stolen election victory”.
The aftermath of the 2020 presidential election continues to shape the United States to this day. What began as a protest by the camp surrounding election loser Donald Trump quickly developed into a conspiracy cult that claimed the election victory was stolen. During this time, a well-known protest symbol appeared on cars, in front gardens and on social media: an upside-down US flag. It stood for the message “Stop the Steal”Anyone who carried the flag upside down did not believe in the legitimate election victory of US President Joe Biden.
As the “New York Times” As has now been revealed, one of the houses in front of which the inverted flag was flying at that time belonged to none other than Samuel Alito, a judge on the Supreme Court, the constitutional court of the United States.
A photo shows an upside down flag in front of Supreme Court Justice Alito's home on January 17, 2021
Photos that alarmed neighbors passed on to the newspaper show the upside-down flag flying in the arch-conservative judge's garden in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021. Eleven days earlier, Trump's supporters had stormed the Capitol, some of them with that very flag in their hands. Biden's inauguration was still three days away at the time.
Supreme Court Justice Alito: “Was not involved in flag raising”
The revelations put Judge Alito under a lot of pressure. The timing is tricky. This year, several high-profile cases will be heard before the Supreme Court in Washington, dealing with the 2020 election and the subsequent attack on the Capitol. This includes the eagerly awaited decision on whether Trump, as a former president, still enjoys immunity.
The judges' vote will determine whether the former president can be held accountable for attempting to overturn the recent presidential election. A possible trial could take place as Trump campaigns for the White House again this year.
“I was not involved in any way in raising the flag”Alito assured the “New York Times”The flag was actually temporarily installed by his wife – “in response to offensive and personally abusive language on garden signs” a neighbor.
Clear violation of the court’s code of ethics
According to legal experts, the flag is a clear violation of the Supreme Court's code of ethics. The Supreme Court has repeatedly warned its employees against expressing their partisan political views in public. This is clear from the internal guidelines, which are also available to the “New York Times” Accordingly, the display of signs or car stickers is prohibited, among other things.
As of Friday, the Supreme Court was not yet willing to comment on the current upside-down flag case.
Supreme Court cannot find peace
Under Trump's presidency, the Supreme Court has moved significantly to the right through several ultra-conservative nominations for judges. It is trying not to appear partisan. The allegations against Alito come at a very inopportune time. And they are not the first of their kind.
Just a few months ago, the conservative Justice Clarence Thomas made similar headlines. At that time, it was announced that his wife, the conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, had attended Trump's rally before the storming of the Capitol. She had also supported his campaign to make the election results appear fraudulent. At that time, calls quickly arose for the judge to be removed from cases surrounding the 2020 election. It is therefore only a matter of time before these demands also reach Judge Alito.
Sources: “New York Times”, “CNN”, “Reuters”with DPA material
