Report: Second Flag Carried by Jan. 6 Rioters Displayed at Residence of Justice Alito

The New York Times reported that a second flag, similar to those carried by rioters during the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, was seen outside the vacation home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

The flag displayed outside Alito’s beach house was an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, and an inverted American flag was spotted at his residence near Washington shortly after the Capitol attack.

Following the news of the upside-down American flag at Alito’s home, there were calls for him to recuse himself from election-related cases involving former President Donald Trump.

Alito and the court chose not to comment on the presence of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag and the circumstances surrounding it. Alito previously stated that the inverted American flag was flown by his wife during a dispute with neighbors, and he was not involved.

Photographs obtained by the Times showed the white flag with a green pine tree flying at Alito’s New Jersey beach home on various dates in July and September 2023. The flag is associated with Christian nationalism and support for Trump, and was carried by rioters during the Capitol attack.

Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have also displayed the flag. Johnson hung it in his office last fall, citing its historical significance and receiving it as a gift from a pastor.

Alito is involved in Supreme Court cases related to the Jan. 6 attack, including issues of Trump’s immunity and charges against rioters. He participated in a ruling preventing states from barring Trump from the ballot using the “insurrection clause” added to the Constitution after the Civil War.

There is no indication that Alito will recuse himself from these cases.