SCOTUS

[Bo Diddley]

It was my spouse.

Wait, so you're more than one person posting? Is this like a modern yfanatico?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Alito issues a detailed response.

https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...and-whitehouse

A few excerpts:

As I have stated publicly, I had nothing whatsoever to do with the flying of that flag. I was not even aware of the upside-down flag until it was called to my attention. As soon as I saw it, I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused. My wife and I own our Virginia home jointly. She therefore has the legal right to use the property as she sees fit, and there were no additional steps that I could have taken to have the flag taken down more promptly.

My wife's reasons for flying the flag are not relevant for present purposes, but that she was greatly distressed at the time due, in large part, to a very nasty neighborhood dispute in which I had no involvement. A house on the street displayed a sign attacking her personally, and a man who was living in the house at the time trailed her all the way down the street and berated her in my presence using foul language, including what I regard as the vilest epithet that can be addressed to a woman. My wife is a private citizen, and she possesses the same First Amendment rights as every other American. She makes her own decisions, and I have always respected her right to do so. She has made many sacrifices to accommodate my service on the Supreme Court, including the insult of having to endure numerous, loud, obscene, and personally insulting protests in front of our home that continue to this day and now threaten to escalate.

EDIT: So a neighbor calls her the C-word among other things, and everyone is outraged at her for flying a distress flag in response. As fusnik would say, "insane".

My wife is fond of flying flags. I am not. My wife was solely responsible for having flagpoles put up at our residence and our vacation home and has flown a wide variety of flags over the years. In addition to the American flag, she has flown other patriotic flags (including a favorite flag thanking veterans), college flags, flags supporting sports teams, state and local flags, flags of nations from which the ancestors of family members came, flags of places we have visited, seasonal flags, and religious flags.

I was not familiar with the “Appeal to Heaven” flag when my wife flew it. She may have mentioned that it dates back to the American Revolution, and I assumed she was flying it to express a religious and patriotic message. I was not aware of any connection between this historic flag and the “Stop the Steal Movement, and neither was my wife. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings.

Lol @ anyone who got worked up over this.

[Northwestcoug]

By the way, what has become the official timeline of the insult and flag flying is suspect. Police records corroborate the insulter’s recollection that the flag came up:

There are some differences: For instance, the justice told Fox News that his wife hoisted the flag in response to Ms. Baden’s vulgar insult. A text message and the police call — corroborated by Fairfax County authorities — indicate, however, that the name-calling took place on Feb. 15, weeks after the inverted flag was taken down.

make of that what you will.

[falafel]

By the way, what has become the official timeline of the insult and flag flying is suspect. Police records corroborate the insulter’s recollection that the flag came up:



make of that what you will.

Well its not exactly confidence-inspiring when a Justice of the Supreme Court appears to be shading the truth.

[fusnik]

Alito issues a detailed response.

https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...and-whitehouse

A few excerpts:



EDIT: So a neighbor calls her the C-word among other things, and everyone is outraged at her for flying a distress flag in response. As fusnik would say, "insane".





Lol @ anyone who got worked up over this.

It’s insane you believe that a reasonable response to a neighborhood spat is to fly a distress signal flag.

Also insane you believe Alitos explanation. Brain melted. Lolz.

[fusnik]

By the way, what has become the official timeline of the insult and flag flying is suspect. Police records corroborate the insulter’s recollection that the flag came up:



make of that what you will.

JL stomping on rakes again!

[Applejack]

I have to begrudgingly agree with JL on this Alito stuff.
1. So he flew some flags that were probably flown by his wife who had some reason to fly them (the upside down flag immediately after J6 looks bad)? The heaven and earth flag is apparently an old psuedo-religious, patriotic flag that has now been coopted by some J6ers. That one seems easily explainable. So the most we can say for sure is that someone in the Alito home has some odd choices of flags. It may be that Alito is a secret J6 sympathizer, but I don't think the evidence points definitively to that conclusion.
2. Even if he were a J6 sympathizer, I am not sure that he should absolutely recuse when J6 stuff comes to the court. Just like many on this board were up in arms when the Prop 8 judge turned out to be GAY (where have thou gone, IPU?), the judge's role is not to be without thoughts about things that happen in the world, but rather to be objective as one can be when called on to judge the matter. Recusal should be limited to cases where you have some financial interest in the outcome or some stake in the case (like, say, your spouse is employed by one of the parties).

But, I disagree with AA that Thomas can accept 1/2 million dollar RVs and lavish trips!

[frank ryan]

Alito is beyond reproach. So is Thomas! They will be absolutely non-biased as the court continues to bend over backward to delay resolving Trump's cases.

[Maximus]

it seems you guys are arguing he was too ignorant to know. that isnt speak well to alito

But regardless, it isnt about the flags.

[beefytee]

it seems you guys are arguing he was too ignorant to know. that isnt speak well to alito

But regardless, it isnt about the flags.

I would guess it is more apathy than anything else.

If you want to make it something other than flags, that's your prerogative and a leap you can take. Flags are supposed to be fun though!

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[All-American]

This should be the easiest issue to find a consensus. It’s insane.

I thought we HAD found consensus:

The entire thing is just dumb.

[Jeff Lebowski]

It’s insane you believe that a reasonable response to a neighborhood spat is to fly a distress signal flag.

Also insane you believe Alitos explanation. Brain melted. Lolz.

I am sorry that Mrs Alito’s flags have upset you so badly.

[fusnik]

I have to begrudgingly agree with JL on this Alito stuff.
1. So he flew some flags that were probably flown by his wife who had some reason to fly them (the upside down flag immediately after J6 looks bad)? The heaven and earth flag is apparently an old psuedo-religious, patriotic flag that has now been coopted by some J6ers. That one seems easily explainable. So the most we can say for sure is that someone in the Alito home has some odd choices of flags. It may be that Alito is a secret J6 sympathizer, but I don't think the evidence points definitively to that conclusion.
2. Even if he were a J6 sympathizer, I am not sure that he should absolutely recuse when J6 stuff comes to the court. Just like many on this board were up in arms when the Prop 8 judge turned out to be GAY (where have thou gone, IPU?), the judge's role is not to be without thoughts about things that happen in the world, but rather to be objective as one can be when called on to judge the matter. Recusal should be limited to cases where you have some financial interest in the outcome or some stake in the case (like, say, your spouse is employed by one of the parties).

But, I disagree with AA that Thomas can accept 1/2 million dollar RVs and lavish trips!

Why do people think the wife flys flags BS?

His letter to congress has already proved problematic based on his timeline vs the police timeline.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Chief Justice Roberts tells democratic leaders to pound sand on their ridiculous request for a meeting to demand recusals.

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documen...whitehouse.pdf

In regard to questions concerning any Justice's participation in pending cases, the Members of the Supreme Court recently reaffirmed the practice we have followed for 235 years pursuant to which individual Justices decide recusal issues. Se Commentary to Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States at 11 (Nov. 13, 2023); Statement ‘on Ethics Principles and Practices at 2 (Apr. 25, 2023). It is my understanding that Justice Alito has sent you a letter addressing this subject.

I must respectfully decline your request for a meeting. As noted in my letter to Chairman Durbin last April, apart from ceremonial events, only on rare occasions in our Nation's history has a sitting Chief Justice met with legislators, even in a public setting (such as a Committee hearing) with members of both major political parties present. Separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence counsel against such appearances. Moreover, the format proposed—a meeting with leaders of only one party who have expressed an interest in matters currently pending before the Court — simply underscores that participating in such a meeting would be inadvisable.

[falafel]

Chief Justice Roberts tells democratic leaders to pound sand on their ridiculous request for a meeting to demand recusals.

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documen...whitehouse.pdf

Good for him. I agree with him (but who cares).

However, lots of those same principles could be applied to Thomas' friendship with and receipt of gifts from his conservative billionaire buddies.