Trump fans are using the upside-down American flag to cast doubt on Biden’s election victory. It can also be seen in front of the judge’s house.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Conservative Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S. Supreme Court is in trouble. After Donald Trump’s election defeat in 2020, an upside-down American flag was apparently hung in front of his house – a popular symbol among Trump supporters to cast doubt on US President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Report from The New York Times According to the report, the flag was raised in front of Alito’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021. The newspaper wrote this, citing statements and photos from the judge’s neighbors. However, the accused denies having anything to do with the matter. “I was in no way involved in raising the flag,” Alito said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. Instead, according to the judge, his wife raised the upside-down flag. But not just „in response to a neighbor’s use of offensive and personally insulting language on yard signs.”

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The matter is explosive because the upside-down American flag was a symbol of Trump supporters who falsely claimed in the wake of the recent election that President Biden stole the office. During the storming of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, the upside-down flag was also raised several times by rioters. Biden’s inauguration was just three days away at this point. Just eleven days later, a Trump supporter’s slogan flew over the lawn of a top federal judge.

In this context, it is the duty of such an official to ensure that no misunderstandings occur, as do legal and ethicists. The New York Times He confirmed the opposite. Even the appearance of bias should be avoided, otherwise the impartiality of the judge may be called into question. The mere impression of a political opinion can be a problem. “It could be his wife or someone else living in his house, but it shouldn’t be in his yard as a message to the world,” law professor Amanda Frost said in the report.

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Raising that license plate, Frost continued, „is the equivalent of putting up a 'Stop the Steal’ sign in the yard.” This slogan – in German „Stop the steal” – was the slogan of those people who stormed the Capitol for their former president. According to the legal expert, the matter becomes a problem at the latest when it comes to the property of the judge who decides “cases related to the elections.” While the flag was raised, the court was still grappling with the question of whether allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 US election should be investigated. Alito argued in favor of hearing the arguments, but was ultimately on the losing side.

In fact, according to the article, interviews with residents revealed that the justice’s wife, Martha Ann Alito, had gotten into a fight with another family in the neighborhood over an anti-Trump sign on their lawn. However, given the timing and strong meaning of the symbol, the upside-down flag could have been interpreted by neighbors primarily as a political statement by the couple.

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The Code of Ethics applicable to lower courts in the United States, as well as the Code of Ethics recently adopted by the Supreme Court, emphasize the need for judges to remain independent. Political statements or opinions on matters that may be brought before them should be avoided. Court officials are not permitted to publicly express their partisan political opinions. This also includes attaching signs or vehicle stickers.