Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is acting like a “street lawyer” as he faces backlash after hanging two controversial flags from his homes.
“It is up to each judge to judge whether they have violated the code of ethics and recuse themselves in cases where their impartiality may be in question,” Cohen said the hosts of MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” “Alito, I don’t think, is the caliber of person to do this.”
“He’s acting more like a street lawyer than a silk stocking lawyer. And that’s what the Supreme Court is supposed to be, the silk stocking lawyers,” he continued.
Cohen, a member of the Judiciary Committee, introduced a resolution in the House to censure Alito after The New York Times reported that there was an inverted flag hanging outside his Virginia home shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Another Times report found that a white flag with a green pine tree, which has become a symbol of a Christian-minded government, flew outside his vacation home in 2023.
Democrats are sounding the alarm about Alito’s potential conflict of interest.
As the high court is reviewing cases, and is expected to make rulings soon, on whether former President Trump is immune from prosecution and cases related to January 6, some Democrats are calling on Alito to let him leave.
Alito said he had no involvement in the raising of the first flag, blaming his wife and a misunderstanding, but said nothing about the second.
Cohen argued that the flag incident shows a “blatant demonstration” of Alito’s political bias.
“There must be accountability to protect the integrity and impartiality of the High Court. We must protect constitutional rights to fair and impartial procedures,” Cohen said in a statement.
On Friday, several Democratic senators, both of whom sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, seek to meet with Chief Justice John Roberts about the flag incidents.
Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) demanded to meet with Roberts as soon as possible so they could talk about the court’s “ethical crisis” and for Roberts to “ensure” that Alito refused.
If that doesn’t work, Cohen said Democrats could at least try to pass a censure resolution “that would at least put a scarlet letter on Alito, which I think would have some effect on the court’s views.” Cohen noted that this could be difficult, as the resolution would have to be approved by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio).
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
