The Left has been trying to take down the Court for years. But now SCOTUS is fighting back.
And this Supreme Court Justice drops a bombshell right on Democrats.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has rejected pleas to recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol demonstration.
In a letter to Congress on Wednesday, he stated that his wife made the decision to fly an upside-down American flag and “An Appeal to Heaven” pennant at his properties, and that he is not biased in any issue.
“My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not. My wife was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years,” he said in his letter to the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chairman Richard J. Durbin.
“My wife is an independently minded private citizen. She makes her own decisions, and I honor her right to do so,” he added.
“A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal. I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request.”
Justice Alito also issued a letter to House Democrats. Rep. Dan Goldman of New York believes Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. should intervene to prevent a “miscarriage of justice.”
“Justice Alito’s refusal to recuse himself from the pending Trump v. United States and Fischer v. United States cases is perhaps the greatest stain yet on the Supreme Court’s legitimacy. Even if fully credited, Justice Alito’s own explanation to Congress for his decision concedes that a political statement related to the underlying facts of those two cases hung from his house, creating the appearance of bias and therefore requiring that he recuse,” Mr. Goldman said.
Justice Alito’s letter comes after The New York Times revealed that he flew two flags outside his houses, one in 2021 at his Alexandria, Virginia home and another in 2023 at his New Jersey beach estate, that were symbols carried by Jan. 6 demonstrators.
The New York Times reported this week that Justice Alito flew an “Appeal to Heaven” flag at his Long Beach Island, New Jersey, vacation property in 2023. The publication described the flag, which dates back to the American Revolution, as a symbol of “a more Christian-minded government” and stated that it was carried to the Capitol on January 6.
In his letter to members of Congress, Justice Alito stated that he was unaware of any relationship between the “Stop the Steal Movement” and the “Appeal to Heaven” flag.
It was the paper’s second item in less than a week about Justice Alito flying flags at his properties. According to the site, he flew an upside-down U.S. flag at his Alexandria, Virginia, house following the January 6 demonstration.
Former President Trump praised Justice Alito’s letter in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, complete with his characteristic all-capital letters.
“Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the intelligence, courage, and ‘guts’ to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related. All U.S. Judges, Justices, and Leaders should have such grit — Our Country would be far more advanced than its current status as a badly failing nation, headed by the Worst President in American History, Crooked Joe Biden!” he wrote.
Democratic legislators have criticized the flag-flying as a public show of political activity that violates judicial ethics. One House Democrat proposed a censure motion demanding that the justice disqualify himself from any cases involving the 2020 election.
It was the latest plea for recusal after Illinois Democrat Richard Durbin said the justice should disqualify himself from Mr. Trump’s case for total immunity over his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.
Mr. Durbin reiterated those calls for recusal after revelations that “An Appeal to Heaven” flag was also flown.
That flag, also known as the Pine Tree Flag, was used during the American Revolution, originally by a squadron of six frigates commissioned in 1775 by Gen. George Washington.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
