House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) on Thursday criticized Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for flying far-right flags associated with the “Stop the Steal” movement outside two of his homes. , demanding that Alito recuse himself from any cases related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“He definitely needs to recuse himself from any matter pending before the Supreme Court of the United States that has to do with the violent insurrection of January 6th,” Jeffries said during a news conference at the Capitol. “He shouldn’t be part of this.”
Jeffries’ comments echo those of other leading Democrats, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who say Alito disqualified himself from the Jan. 6 cases after The New York Times reported two cases where conservative flags were flown outside the judge’s courtroom. houses.
The first episode, immediately following the 2020 election, featured an upside-down American flag flying outside the judge’s residence in Alexandria, Virginia,the Times reported. Alito told the newspaper that the flag was raised by his wife in a fight with neighbors.
The second episode, which took place last summer, found an “Appeal to Heaven” flag flying outside Alito’s New Jersey vacation home,the Times revealed. Alito declined to comment on the case.
Both flags were used prominently by supporters of former President Trump and his false claims that he won the 2020 election only to have them stolen by a criminal conspiracy of corrupt Democrats and state election officials. And both were carried by “Stop the Steal” protesters who stormed the Capitol as Congress formalized his electoral defeat on January 6, 2021.
Jeffries said Alito — along with Justice Clarence Thomas, who has a long history of accepting travel benefits from a billionaire conservative activist — demonstrated a degree of political bias that undermined the high court’s image as a bastion of nonpartisan objectivity.
“Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas are totally out of control,” he said. “These individuals continue to undermine the credibility of the United States Supreme Court.”
Jeffries promised that if Democrats flip control of the House – and maintain control of the Senate – in the November elections, they will move quickly to adopt stricter oversight of Supreme Court justices. That process, Jeffries added, could include creating a new code of ethics that governs judges’ activities outside the courtroom.
“If the Supreme Court fails to control its action, you can be assured that Democrats in the House of Representatives, in partnership with Democrats in the United States Senate, will act at the first opportunity we have to engage in thorough oversight and consideration of imposing a code of ethical conduct on Supreme Court justices,” he said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
