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Supreme court to issue more decisions as Democrat calls for Alito to recuse himself over second rightwing flag flown at house
Good morning, US politics blog readers.
Conservative supreme court justice Samuel Alito flew a rightwing Christian flag carried by insurrectionists on January 6 outside a vacation home, the New York Times reported yesterday. The story came a week after the Times revealed that a different flag associated with Donald Trump’s election lies appeared outside his suburban Washington DC residence shortly before Joe Biden took office. The justice blamed his wife for the first episode, and had no comment on the flag flown outside the New Jersey vacation property, but to top Democrats, it is clear that Alito needs to step back from cases involving the attack on the Capitol and the 2020 election. Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, made the demand, while calling the flag “apparent ethical misconduct”, and progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the matter should be investigated.
Meanwhile, the supreme court is scheduled to, at 10am ET, issue another batch of decisions. There is no telling which cases they may weigh in on, but pending on their docket is Trump’s attempt to be granted immunity from prosecution for his 2020 election meddling attempt as well as two cases dealing with access to abortion that came after the court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 – with an opinion Alito authored.
Here’s what else is going on today:
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Biden is spending much of the day with Kenyan president William Ruto, who is on an official visit to Washington DC. The president hosts the East African leader for a state dinner in the evening – the first for any African leader since George W Bush dined with Ghana’s John Kufuor in 2008.
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Republican House speaker Mike Johnson wants to invite Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give an address to Congress, but is waiting to hear from Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. Perhaps the Democrat will make his decision known today.
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The House is expected to vote on Republican-backed legislation to repeal a Washington DC law allowing non-citizens to vote in its local elections.
Key events
Supreme court to release decisions with abortion and Trump immunity cases pending
The supreme court will in a few minutes release its latest batch of opinions.
We do not know how many they will release, or which cases, but there are several key issues pending the before the court, including conservative attempts to limit access to abortion pill mifepristone, and to strike down a Biden administration policy that requires federally funded hospitals perform the procedure in emergencies, even in states where abortion is banned.
The justices are also considering Donald Trump’s petition for immunity from charges related to attempting to overturn the 2020 election, as well as a challenge to South Carolina’s congressional maps. Here is more on the latter:
A growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers is demanding supreme court justice Samuel Alito recuse himself from cases dealing with January 6 or the 2020 election, after the New York Times reported his homes flew flags associated with rightwing causes.
Here’s Katherine Clark, the Democratic House whip:
Justice Alito has displayed flags at his homes that support insurrection against our government, promote religious nationalism, and attack free and fair elections.
This is not just another example of extremism that has overtaken conservatism. This is a threat to the rule of law and a serious breach of ethics, integrity, and Justice Alito’s oath of office.
At minimum, he must recuse himself from any cases involving January 6th, Donald Trump, and the security of our elections. Anything less will tarnish our judicial system and democracy.
Over in the Senate, Sheldon Whitehouse, a member of the judiciary committee, referenced Alito’s explanation last week that an upside-down American flag that hung outside his Virginia home was put up by his wife:
Did another neighbor make Alito’s wife mad?
How many MAGA battle flags does Alito need to fly for the Court or the Judicial Conference to see there’s a problem?https://t.co/YTo3AUCFQ9
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 22, 2024
While Richard Blumenthal demanded Alito offer “an explanation” for the flags:
Flying this flag is a political statement that is a clear & compelling reason for Alito’s recusal. He cannot responsibly sit on Trump-related cases when he has already signaled his sympathy with January 6th rioters. He owes the American people an explanation. https://t.co/g8hSr7Sqww
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) May 22, 2024
Alito’s vacation residence flew flag linked to Christian extremists – report
The New York Times found conservative supreme court justice Samuel Alito’s New Jersey vacation home flying the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which dates back to the Revolutionary War, and has been adopted by far-right Christians:
A second provocative flag linked to Jan. 6 was flown at a home of the Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito. https://t.co/BuXufAjOgJ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 23, 2024
Among those who have flown it is Republican speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who flew the flag outside his Capitol office.
It’s the second controversial flag found outside an Alito residence. Last week, the Times reported that shortly before Joe Biden took office, Alito’s home in Virginia flew an upside-down American flag, which had been adopted as a symbol by those who believed Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud.
Alito told the Times his wife had put that flag up after a dispute with their neighbor, but he declined to comment about the banner found at his vacation home in New Jersey. Here’s more on this:
Supreme court to issue more decisions as Democrat calls for Alito to recuse himself over second rightwing flag flown at house
Good morning, US politics blog readers.
Conservative supreme court justice Samuel Alito flew a rightwing Christian flag carried by insurrectionists on January 6 outside a vacation home, the New York Times reported yesterday. The story came a week after the Times revealed that a different flag associated with Donald Trump’s election lies appeared outside his suburban Washington DC residence shortly before Joe Biden took office. The justice blamed his wife for the first episode, and had no comment on the flag flown outside the New Jersey vacation property, but to top Democrats, it is clear that Alito needs to step back from cases involving the attack on the Capitol and the 2020 election. Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, made the demand, while calling the flag “apparent ethical misconduct”, and progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the matter should be investigated.
Meanwhile, the supreme court is scheduled to, at 10am ET, issue another batch of decisions. There is no telling which cases they may weigh in on, but pending on their docket is Trump’s attempt to be granted immunity from prosecution for his 2020 election meddling attempt as well as two cases dealing with access to abortion that came after the court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 – with an opinion Alito authored.
Here’s what else is going on today:
-
Biden is spending much of the day with Kenyan president William Ruto, who is on an official visit to Washington DC. The president hosts the East African leader for a state dinner in the evening – the first for any African leader since George W Bush dined with Ghana’s John Kufuor in 2008.
-
Republican House speaker Mike Johnson wants to invite Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give an address to Congress, but is waiting to hear from Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. Perhaps the Democrat will make his decision known today.
-
The House is expected to vote on Republican-backed legislation to repeal a Washington DC law allowing non-citizens to vote in its local elections.
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