8 Democrats demanding Justice Samuel Alito recuse himself from Trump cases after flag controversy

8 congressional Democrats demanding Justice Samuel Alito's recusal after reports of him flying an inverted American flag

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito found himself in hot water after The New York Times reported that an upside-down American flag was seen flying in his yard before President Joe Biden's presidential inauguration in 2021. The outlet obtained photos that showed an inverted flag on his property in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021, less than two weeks after former President Donald Trump's supporters attacked the Capitol building to prevent the certification of Biden's election victory. Alito, a George W Bush appointee, has dismissed the inverted flag controversy. "I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag," he said in an email to NYT. "It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs." An upside-down flag should be flown only "as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property," as per the Associated Press. Therefore, Alito's disrespect for the American flag drew flak from Democratic lawmakers who demanded he recuse himself from all cases related to Trump and the 2020 election. These are the eight congressional Democrats demanding the Supreme Court Justice to step away.

1. Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin called for Alito's "immediate" recusal from all cases related to the 2020 election, January 6 Capitol attack, and the US v Donald Trump case, which questions Trump's presidential immunity, as per The Hill. "Flying an upside-down American flag — a symbol of the so-called 'Stop the Steal' movement — clearly creates the appearance of bias," the Illinois lawmaker said. He continued, "The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust." Durbin further said that Supreme Court justices should adhere to the utmost ethical standards, not the lowest ones.

2. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut

Sen Richard Blumenthal, another Democrat congressman who denounced Alito for flying an upside-down American flag in his yard, demanded the apex court justice to step away from sitting on Trump's cases. "There is absolutely no way that Justice Alito can sit in judgment on the two cases where Donald Trump's interests and the insurrection itself is directly involved," the lawmaker from Connecticut said in an MSNBC interview. He added that Alito owed the American people and Congress an explanation for disrespecting the flag.

3. Representative Don Beyer of Virginia

Rep Don Beyer labeled Alito's disrespect towards the flag a "major ethics breach." He wrote on X, "My constituents have strong political views, that's life in Northern Virginia; but Supreme Court Justices are supposed to be impartial." The congressman representing Virginia also accused the top court justice of hiding conflicts of interest, continuing to hear January 6 cases instead of recusing himself.

4. Representative Adam Schiff, California

Rep Adam Schiff argued Justice Alito should withdraw himself from the January 6 related cases. He demanded Justice Clarence Thomas as well to do the same. In a statement released on May 17, the California Democrat said, "Justice Alito should recuse himself from cases related to January 6. As should Justice Thomas. The Supreme Court has lost the trust of the American people when justices continue to sit on cases where they have such a clear bias."

5. Representative Ted Lieu, California

Rep Ted Lieu expressed his anger over the Supreme Court Justice's disrespect towards the American flag, mirroring the demand of his fellow congressional colleagues. "Justices are supposed to look at the law/facts, and call balls and strikes impartially. Would we allow an umpire to referee a game with the Dodgers if the umpire had a "Go Dodgers!" Flag on his lawn? NO WAY," he wrote on X. Lieu, then demanded Alito to recuse himself from cases involving the 45th president.

6. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, New York

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denounced Alito for flying the inverted American flag. The lawmaker demanded the SC Justice to immediately apologize for "disrespecting the American flag and sympathizing with right-wing violent insurrectionists." He also urged Alito to recuse himself from all cases related to Trump. Jeffries' statement advised Congress to "immediately consider legislation to impose an ethical code of conduct on a runaway Supreme Court." According to Jeffries, the "Constitution demands and the American people deserve more" from a Supreme Court Justice other than baseless election denial.

7. Representative Steve Cohen, Tennessee

Rep Steve Cohen also urged Alito to step aside from all cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6 insurrection. In addition, the Democrat, who is a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, announced that he was introducing legislation to "censure" the Supreme Court Justice. "His desecration of the US flag just days after #Jan6 was disgusting and shows his allegiance to the baseless belief that Trump won in 2020. He should recuse himself from every related case, but a censure is a good start," Cohen wrote on X.

8. Representative Pramila Jayapal, Washington

Rep Pramila Jayapal has also joined the Democratic legislators demanding Alito's recusal from 2020 election-related cases. She voiced her agreement with Sen Durbin on an X (formerly Twitter) post. "Justice Alito should recuse himself from any case involving the 2020 election. And we must pass SCOTUS reforms immediately to preserve the integrity of the nation's highest court," the congresswoman from Washington wrote.