— Justice Samuel Alito is rejecting calls to step aside from Supreme Court cases involving formerand Jan. 6 defendants because of the controversy over flags that flew over his homes.
In letters to members of Congress on Wednesday, Alito said his wife was responsible for flying an upside-down flag over his home in 2021 and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag at his New Jersey beach house last year.“I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request,” he wrote.by a mob of Trump supporters on the Capitol, including charges faced by the rioters and whether Trump has immunity from prosecution on election interference charges.
Alito said he was unaware that the upside-down flag was flying above his house until it was called to his attention. “As soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused,” he wrote in nearly identical letters to Democrats in the House and Senate.