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Hi,
The pro-insurrectionist flags that were flown at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's houses aren't just a public show of support for the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.1
They are a flagrant violation of the Supreme Court's own code of ethics, which requires justices to "act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."2,3
Alito isn't the only one flouting basic judicial ethics. Justice Clarence Thomas has refused to recuse himself from cases related to January 6, despite the fact that his wife attended the January 6 Stop the Steal rally and was actively involved in the plot to overturn the election.4
Alito's pro-insurrection flags have sparked a loud public outcry — and now we must turn up the heat.
The Supreme Court's code of conduct instructs justices to avoid even the appearance of bias in cases before the Court. And the Supreme Court has explicitly cautioned its employees against political displays, including signs and bumper stickers.5
However, because the code of conduct has no enforcement mechanism, Justice Alito faces no consequences whatsoever.6
Meanwhile, Justice Clarence Thomas is also hopelessly compromised in the January 6 cases, given that his own wife attended the January 6 Stop the Steal rally and sent a barrage of text messages to the White House chief of staff urging him to help Trump overturn the election.
And yet right now, Justices Thomas and Alito are sitting in judgment of Trump's claim of total immunity for the crimes he committed while in office, including those surrounding the January 6 insurrection.
Demand Progress Action has mobilized tens of thousands of people to contact their representatives to demand Supreme Court ethics reform, and we're now urgently working to mobilize our 1.5 million affiliated activists to hold Justices Alito and Thomas accountable for their blatant conflicts of interest and corruption.
With gratitude,
The team at Demand Progress Action
Sources:
1. The New York Times, "Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home," May 22, 2024.
2. Supreme Court of the United States, "Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States," November 13, 2023.
3. Campaign Legal Center, "Alito Flags the Fatal Flaw of the Supreme Court Ethics Code," May 20, 2024.
4. The New Yorker, "Legal Scholars Are Shocked By Ginni Thomas's 'Stop the Steal' Texts," March 25, 2022.
5. The New York Times, "What Do Judicial Rules Say About Alito and a 'Stop the Steal' Symbol?" May 17, 2024.
6. The Hill, "Alito's inverted flag makes a mockery of the Supreme Court's code of ethics," May 21, 2024.
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