WASHINGTON — Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito refused Wednesday to step aside from two pending cases related to former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol following recent news reports over controversial flags displayed on his private properties.
In letters to members of Congress calling for his recusal, Alito said that the two incidents involving flags at his home in Virginia and at a vacation property in New Jersey, first reported by the New York Times, ” do not meet the conditions for recusal” set out in the article. the code of ethics recently adopted by the Supreme Court.
Alito said that in both cases, “a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or by a desire to influence the outcome of Supreme Court cases” would conclude that no recusal was necessary. One letter was sent to senators while the other was sent to members of the House of Representatives.
He added that he was not involved in the decision to fly either flag, saying they were raised by his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. In the first incident, neighbors said an upside-down American flag was flown in early 2021, just after Jan. 6 and the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
In the other incident, a flag linked to conservative Christians bearing the motto “Call to Heaven” was flown at the holiday home the following year.
Both flags were adopted by some Trump supporters involved in the Jan. 6 attack.
The Supreme Court is currently considering two cases related to Jan. 6: Trump’s request for presidential immunity in his election interference case and an appeal by a man prosecuted for his role that day. Decisions should be made by the end of June.
Under the Supreme Court’s ethics rules, each justice has the final say on whether or not to recuse themselves from cases.
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News Source : www.nbcnews.com
