Publicly available court records and statements from the U.S. Supreme Court

Justice Alito Criticized Over Flags, Refuses Recusal in Jan. 6, Trump Cases

May 29, 2024, 05:45 PM

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has faced criticism for allowing controversial flags, including an upside-down American flag and an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, to fly outside his homes. The flags, which were flown in January 2021 at his Virginia home and in 2023 at his Long Beach Island, New Jersey vacation home, have been described by his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, as a 'signal of distress' and part of a neighborhood dispute. A federal judge, Michael Ponsor, called the act 'dumb' and 'improper,' asserting it erodes public trust in the judiciary. The Washington Post revealed it knew about the flag controversy in 2021 but chose not to publish the story, deeming it unrelated to politics. Recently, Alito rejected calls from Democratic lawmakers to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and former President Donald Trump, stating that the flags did not warrant his recusal and that he had asked his wife to take them down.