US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito under fire over upside-down US flag after 2020 election
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has been mired in controversy since it was revealed that an upside-down flag flew outside his Virginia home in the aftermath of the 2020 election, a time when many claimed President Joe Biden stole the White House from Donald Trump.
The New York Times on Thursday published photos of the inverted flag, taken outside his residence in Alexandria on January 17, 2021. At the time, it was a symbol seized upon by some Trump supporters who questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s presidential victory. They dubbed their movement “Stop the Steal.”
It also came just days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan .6, 2020, when a mob made up of pro-Trump protesters breached the building in a bid to block the certification of Biden’s electoral win.
Trump and his allies have repeatedly claimed that the only reason Biden secured the presidency was due to voter fraud.
Reacting to the New York Times article, former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance blasted Alito for displaying an upside-down flag outside his home.
“Judges are supposed to avoid politics,” Vance said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Justice Alito doesn’t seem to care. When I saw the NYT headline, I thought a vandal had placed the upside down American flag at the Alito’s house or the photo was a deep fake. It turns out, that’s not the case.”
Author Stephen King also chimed in.
“A Supreme Court justice—Samuel Alito—flying an upside-down flag outside his house, indicating Stop the Steal,” he wrote. “I have no words,”
Alito, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, did not deny the upside-down flag was outside his home. Instead, he blamed his wife, Martha-Ann Alito.
“I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Alito said in an email to the Times. “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
Actor Jon Cryer tweeted: “So let me get this straight, A Supreme Court Justice’ spouse was mad that there was an anti Trump sign on her block… So she puts up a symbol in support for his attempted coup? And Sam Alito thinks that makes it okay?”
The controversy also comes just weeks after the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether Trump should be protected by presidential immunity in his federal election subversion case.
