Durbin calls for Alito recusal from Jan. 6 cases over upside-down flag that flew at his home

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

05/17/24 12:27 PM ET


Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called on Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from all cases related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, after it was reported an upside-down American flag was flown outside his home in the days surrounding the attack. According to The New York Times, an upside-down version of the flag was flown outside the Alitos home in Alexandria, Va., on Jan. 17, 2021, and potentially for several days during that time.

The justice said in a statement that he has “no involvement whatsoever in flying the flag” and said his wife, Martha-Ann, hung the flag as part of a dispute with neighbors. However, the news comes as the court is set to rule on two key Jan. 6-related cases, including whether former President Trump has immunity from prosecution. Durbin said Alito should step back during those cases and play no role in those rulings.

“Flying an upside-down American flag — a symbol of the so-called ‘Stop the Steal’ movement — clearly creates the appearance of bias,” Durbin said. “Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former President’s immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering,” he added.

“The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust,” Durbin continued, saying it is another reason for Congress to pass legislation to create a code of conduct for justices. “Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest ethical standards, not the lowest.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4670536-durbin-calls-for-alito-recusal-from-jan-6-cases-over-upside-down-flag-flew-at-his-home/

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. The SC racist/bigot/MAGA fringe are like shingles - they don't care!

[Think. Again.]

2. K&R

[mede8er]

3. Pack the court...

With the next Blue Wave and Biden's term limit he has nothing to lose by packing the court with 4 more justice nominations. Bidens FDR moment continues.

[Traurigkeit]

9. You mean 'Expand' the Supreme Court. It is ALREADY packed with GOP "justices".

[Bev54]

16. Exactly expanding it would be the course to unpacking it.

[mede8er]

45. Pack the court Definition & Meaning

As per Merriam-Webster: The meaning of PACK THE COURT is to increase the number of justices on a court and especially the United States Supreme Court causing the ideological makeup to shift.

[sop]

4. Good luck with that, Senator Durbin.

[ShazzieB]

26. I'm pretty sure he's not expecting Alito to say, "Oh, okay" and recuse just like that.

But by doing this, he's calling attention to the situation, and that's worthwhile regardless.

I'm glad he's speaking out about this.

[sop]

38. Durbin also called for Clarence Thomas to recuse himself in Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson,

a Colorado case about whether Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6. Durbin posted on social media: "Given questions surrounding his wife’s involvement, Justice Thomas should recuse himself so there’s no question of bias." Clarence didn't recuse himself.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/02/07/congress/durbin-thomas-scotus-trump-2024-ballot-eligibility-00140147

"Last September, Justice Samuel Alito issued a defiant explanation for why he was refusing to recuse himself from a major tax case the court would soon hear, sharply rejecting calls by some Democrats for him to step aside after he gave an interview to one of the attorneys involved in the case...'There is no valid reason for my recusal in this case,' the conservative justice wrote in a 4-page statement responding to the appeals from Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin and others."

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/25/politics/clarence-thomas-january-6-case/index.html

I hope Alito heeds Durbin's call to recuse himself, but it doesn't appear likely.

[JohnSJ]

5. We now have two proven compromised SC justices who won't

recuse themselves

[Scalded Nun]

6. Maybe his wife has been working with Menendez' wife. Why...Who the hell knows!

[JustAnotherGen]

7. He won't though

They are so arrogant - those right wing wingnut SCOTUS Justices.

I take comfort in knowing that in life there are mountains of justice and valleys of comeuppences.

Someday in some way - he will get his comeuppence.

[mucifer]

8. The Supreme Court is even more above

The law than donald trump if that’s possible.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. Here is Senator Durbin's statement

Link to tweet

[republianmushroom]

11. Ethics ??

[creeksneakers2]

12. Not enough

Alito showed during orals on immunity that he was only concerned with what he thought the law OUGHT to be instead of what the law was. I've heard right wingers complain for years about legislating from the bench but that was exactly what Alito seemed to be up to. The Constitution says in two places no blanket immunity and Marbury v Madison says only for official acts, Creating slates of fake electors ad forging certificates cannot possibly be mistaken for official acts. No explanation for Alito but he wants to put the fix in to make his Fascist buddy above the law. Recusal is not enough. I want Alito to resign.

[orleans]

13. did durbin do this with thomas regarding his douchebag wife ginny? nt

[BumRushDaShow]

15. Yes - for multiple cases

2022

Senate Judiciary chair says Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from Jan. 6 cases

2023

09.22.2023 - Durbin Calls for Justice Clarence Thomas to Recuse Himself from Loper Bright v. Raimondo in Upcoming Supreme Court Term

2024

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin calls on Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from Trump ballot case

[orleans]

47. thank you! i really thought he hadn't done this so i appreciate your time, effort, & the links

[BumRushDaShow]

50. You're welcome!

Once Democrats regained control of the Senate in 2020 (after 6 years of GOP control) and finally dealing with Turtle's nonsense by getting our Chair positions back, our Committee leadership have been out there going after the SCOTUS - especially given what happened with the GOP blocking Obama's nominees, and later shoving 3 unqualified idiots onto the court.

I know there were (and probably still are) investigations going on in the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Thomas and his affiliation with Harlan Crow, et al.

[nowforever]

14. Dispute

She wanted to fly a Swastika but neighbors objected so compromise was upside down flag. Cleared it up.

[prodigitalson]

17. I'm not sure who is the bigger piece of shit, him or Thomas

[Traurigkeit]

21. Roberts, for letting it happen.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

18. 'Just disgusting': Joe reacts to report Justice Alito flew 'Stop the Steal' symbol on front lawn

[JoseBalow]

19. I'm sure the Supreme Court repugs will do the right thing

Just kidding, we're fucked

[markodochartaigh]

20. Lol

"The justice said in a statement that he has “no involvement whatsoever in flying the flag” and said his wife, Martha-Ann, hung the flag as part of a dispute with neighbors. "

His job for decades has literally been to hear people make excuses for their behavior and this is the best he could come up with?

[Traurigkeit]

22. Toss the wife under the bus. "What a man" [sarcasm]

[markodochartaigh]

24. Republicans,

they're not sending their best.

[Traurigkeit]

25. Republicans DO NOT get better than under the bottom of the barrel.

[Irish_Dem]

30. I thought the same. Nice husband.

Not.

[Irish_Dem]

29. They don't even bother coming up with good lies.

They insult our intelligence.

[duckworth969]

23. Won't happen because there is;

no oversight,
no accountability, and
no term limits.

[doc03]

27. I haven't been following this but why is this news if it happened

4 years ago? Nobody knew this until last week?

[Irish_Dem]

31. It just came out.

[BumRushDaShow]

34. There was some discussion on Nicole Wallace's show this afternoon

where apparently the neighbors were basically intimidated (and even fearful) and had insisted on anonymity regarding the incident. I expect one decided to finally break it. I would think that WaPo should have had the story since I assume he lives in the D.C. metro area and obviously not NY, although it could be because he was born and raised in NJ and worked there for his entire career before being confirmed to the SCOTUS.

[intheflow]

28. If Alito's wife did it and the Judiciary Committee still wants to hold him responsible,

it's time for them to go after Thomas for Gini's traitorous MAGA actions.

[Captain Zero]

41. If his wife did it, who wears the pants in

That Christian Family?

heh-heh.

[Wednesdays]

32. Alito: "Oh yeah? You and what army?" nt

[bullimiami]

33. What about Thomas? The republicans packed the court with dishonest scumbags.

[BumRushDaShow]

36. See this post

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3241977

[Bluethroughu]

35. This a circus of Conservative making...

They are breaking our Congress and Courts.

They should resign as the insurrectionists they are. Trump should not even be on a ballot, but these haters of our Constitution, over ruled an Appeals court that spelled it out for them and a State Supreme Court that gave the orange scum a trial and found him to be an insurrectionist. So they make up what they want the Consitution to say, by setting precedents that create their delusions.

They are colluding with the insurrectionists! They should remove themselves from the court, RESIGN TODAY!

[Zeitghost]

55. That decision was 9-0

Are you calling the three liberal Justices "haters of our Constitution"?

[MacKasey]

37. Alito and Thomas need to resign TODAY!

They are both liars!

[Captain Zero]

39. I still say Asslito is coaching Eileen Cannon

Because
1. She is not very smart
2. Her orders and rulings have components of arguments he uses, such as a law is vague or not specific enough.
3. Her orders sound incomplete and ill-timed, because she is stupid and it's hard for her to follow the coaching and directions of Alito or of others.
4. The coaching is being delivered to her via intermediaries between her and her coaches.

Call me Captain Tinfoil Hat, I don't care, but it's just a feeling I get.

[duckworth969]

44. Cannon is definitely being coached

She’s waiting to see what the SC rules before trying to reschedule the espionage case.

I predict she’ll try to block Chutkan if she can.

[LeonidPlanck]

40. First off, I instinctively watched

The offered video, which featured (subtitled, I don’t hear) “Chucks Schumer” speaking. Maybe it’s an editorial flaw and the intern didn’t proof the copy, or maybe it’s an AI thing that’s pumping this shit out, but last I heard there’s nothing wrong with flying the flag upside-down. Historically it’s been a symbol of distress, and both Alito and Durbin know that.

Cats have better judgement when they choose to be persnickety about meaningless bullshit. And, compounded with “Chucks Schumer” I’m starting to think that The Hill editorial staff would benefit by hiring someone who graduated from somewhere. At least for a day.

This isn’t news.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

42. This Subversive Court deserves no faith, trust, or respect. It trashes law to promote its ideology.

[love_katz]

43. Has anyone noticed that R crazies have co-opted protest symbols from the 1960's?

The upside down American flag was displayed a lot in the antiwar protests against the war in Vietnam. It was used because it had a historical use for indicating a situation of emergency or great distress. It seems like our country has been subjected to a Russian psi-op, a torrent of disinformation which has left us stumbling in a (not so) fun-house of distorted mirrors. They take every good idea, or phrase expressing support of an inclusive society with freedom and justice for all, and they twist it. They twist those words into something which supports their beliefs about grievance and their ideas that they are being discriminated against if they can't dominate and bully others.

[bluestarone]

46. EVERY Deomocrat should JOIN Dick. NOW!

I'm sure not ONE rethug will join.

[Torchlight]

48. Fantastic method to amplify both Alito's actions, as well as his dishonest responses to it.

I'm not looking to see him self-recuse, that's too obvious, too honorable, and shows too much objectivity for an often overly-emotional man such as him. With Durbin seeting this in motion, a direct consequence will be forcing this onto the public consciousness, since much of the first and second estates seem to have wanted this to remain down a rabbit hole.

[BlueKota]

49. Completely agree, but it will happen when pigs fly.

Anyone who doesn't see that the evil 6 don't give a flying f..k about the law, ethics, morality, or even the court's or their own reputation are living in fantasy land.

If they did, Thomas and Alito would have recused themselves already, not to mention Roberts, Kavanagh, Barrett and Goursh would have been pressuring them to do so.

So I wouldn't hold my breath Senator Durbin.

[NNadir]

51. He should but he won't. His role on the court is to destroy constitutional democracy. He has zero integrity.

He is simply the second worst, after Thomas, of a packed court.

[bluestarone]

52. Again i have to ask. Where are the other Democrats? After seeing this EVERYONE should be screaming

Right along with Dick! I've not heard anything, other that Dick Durbin confronting this. I don't understand it.

[Picaro]

53. How about calling for Alito's impeachment

Know it couldn’t happen immediately (GOTV) but at least fire a shot across the bow!

[Katcat]

54. More than Alito needs to recuse themselves

I’m looking at you Clarence. Ginni is a troublemaker who is enjoying the controversy she causes a little too much.