Alito refuses to resign from Supreme Court cases involving Trump and Jan. 6 due to flag controversies

Justice Alito rejects recusal calls in Trump and Jan. 6 cases over flag controversy, insists neither incident warrants stepping aside.

Justice Samuel Alito of the Supreme Court is facing calls to recuse himself from cases involving former President Donald Trump and Jan. 6 defendants due to the controversy surrounding flags flown over his homes. In response to letters from members of Congress, Alito explained that his wife was responsible for flying an upside-down American flag over their home in 2021 and an "Appeal to Heaven" flag at their New Jersey beach house last year. Despite these incidents, Alito believes that they do not warrant his recusal.

The Supreme Court is currently deliberating on two significant cases related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters. These cases involve charges against the rioters and whether Trump can be prosecuted for election interference. Alito has faced similar calls for recusal from Democrats in the past on other issues.

Reports from The New York Times revealed that an inverted American flag was spotted at Alito's home in Alexandria, Virginia, shortly after the Capitol attack. Additionally, an "Appeal to Heaven" flag was flown outside his beach home in New Jersey last summer. These flags were symbols carried by the rioters who stormed the Capitol, echoing Trump's baseless claims of election fraud.

Alito admitted that he was unaware of the upside-down flag until it was brought to his attention. He immediately asked his wife to take it down, but she initially refused. Despite this, Alito maintains that he is duty-bound to reject calls for his recusal in these cases.

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