A symbol of the “Stop the Steal” movement on Justice Alito's property

Three days before Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, an upside-down American flag, a symbol of the “Stop the Steal” movement, flew on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s property in Alexandria, Virginia, according to photos and documents. Interviews collected before The New York Times (Free link). The photos were taken by neighbors who were disturbed by this symbol waved by some Donald Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“While the flag was raised, the Court still had to decide whether to hear a case related to the 2020 election, with Justice Alito losing that decision,” he wrote. times. “In the coming weeks, the justices will rule on two crucial cases related to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, including whether Mr. Trump has immunity for his actions. Their decisions will determine the extent to which he can be held accountable for trying to cancel the last presidential election and his chances of being re-elected in the next election. »

Justice Alito responded to the presence of the upside down flag on his property in an email to times : “I was not involved in any way in displaying the flag. Ms. Alito placed it briefly in response to a neighbor’s use of unacceptable and personally offensive language on yard signs.”

According to the experts they consulted timesThe presence of the inverted flag on Justice Alito's property represents “a clear violation of ethics rules, which are intended to avoid even the appearance of bias, and could sow doubt about Justice Alito's impartiality in issues related to the election and the Capitol riot.”

(Photo obtained by The New York Times)