An embarrassing upside-down flag for a Supreme Court justice

(Washington) An American flag raised upside down: This Trump symbol photographed in 2021 at the home of a Supreme Court justice pays homage to suspicions of bias surrounding the institution at a time when a divided nation awaits its decision on the criminal immunity law cited by the former president. president.

Several elected Democrats on Friday called on this ultra-conservative judge, Samuel Alito, to recuse himself from any case related to the 2020 election or the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In particular regarding the criminal immunity that Donald Trump is claiming in federal court. Actions against him for attempting to illegally reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The nine Supreme Court justices in April appeared impervious to arguments for absolute criminal immunity for a former president, but the date and wording of their decision could definitively influence the conduct of Donald Trump's impeachment trial before the November election. .

the The New York Times It was revealed on Thursday evening that in January 2021, several days before the inauguration of Democratic President Joe Biden, an upside-down American flag was raised in front of Samuel Alito's house, in the suburbs of Washington.

After a response from his electronic courier at home, Samuel Alito affirmed that “it has been applied to the message of the doctor” in his son’s home, he received a “brève” initiative from his son in response to a report “insulting in the garden” 'neighbor “.

The 74-year-old justice, considered one of the most right-wing members of the Supreme Court, is particularly known for having written in 2022 for the conservative majority the resounding ruling that removed federal protections for the right to abortion.

“Flooding the Supreme Court”

Influential Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the upside-down flag “creates an appearance of bias.”

“The Court finds itself in an ethical crisis for which it alone is responsible, and Justice Alito and his colleagues must do everything they can to restore the public’s trust,” he said in a statement.

“This kind of behavior is overwhelming the Supreme Court,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, also expressed concern on MSNBC.

He expressed his regret that “the court’s credibility is collapsing,” calling on Chief Justice John Roberts to force Justice Alito and his colleague Clarence Thomas to step down from cases related to Donald Trump.

Clarence Thomas (75 years old) has so far ignored calls to recuse himself due to his wife's involvement in the campaign to challenge the results of the recent presidential elections.

“The president considers the American flag sacred,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday, adding that it was up to the court to decide whether Justice Alito should recuse himself.

Popularity and trust in this crucial institution of American democracy have collapsed, particularly because of the conservative majority's overthrow of the pillars of liberal American society from the 1960s to 1970s, over abortion in June 2022.

A poll published by Marquette Law School in February showed that the level of approval for the court's action was 40 percent, compared to 60 percent disapproval. Since the historic low of 38% in July 2022, favorable opinions have never risen above 47%, although they were in the majority until March 2022, according to this study.

Justices Thomas and Alito have also been vilified for accepting largesse from Republican billionaires, including in the form of travel or lodging.

At a conference held last week in Alabama (south), Clarence Thomas resisted the “meanness” and “lies” of which, in his words, his family was a victim in the microcosm of Washington.

Under pressure, the Supreme Court adopted a code of conduct in November, but failed to silence criticism due to the absence of any sanctions or enforcement mechanism.