A Tennessee Democrat has introduced a resolution in the House to censure Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after reports showed an inverted flag was flown outside his residence shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, introduced the censure resolution on Tuesday, “for knowingly violating the federal impeachment statute and binding ethics standards and for calling into question the impartiality of the Supreme Court of the United States.” .”
Alito claimed he had “no involvement” in the raising of the inverted flag outside his home in January 2021, placing the blame on his wife. He said it was “briefly put up by Ms. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
The news of the inverted flag was first reported last week by The New York Times. The gesture has often been linked to “Stop the Steal” efforts that rely on unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The incident sparked outrage from Democrats, who called the reports “alarming” and “appalling.” Some Democrats have also called on Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 insurrection, including former President Trump’s presidential immunity case.
Cohen said in a statement that the incident shows “a conscious and brazen demonstration of his political prejudice.”
“He literally flew a flag in front of his house showing the world that he supported the January 6th rebels,” the lawmaker said. “Furthermore, he continues to participate in litigation directly related to the 2020 election and the Insurrection, in direct violation of the federal recusal statute and the Supreme Court’s own ethics rules.”
“There must be accountability to protect the integrity and impartiality of the High Court. We must protect constitutional rights to fair and impartial proceedings,” he continued. “Judge Alito must be censured for egregious violations of the law and judicial rules, and must recuse himself from all further 2020 elections and litigation related to March 6. January.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
