A flag carried by US Capitol rioters was displayed last year at a US Supreme Court justice’s vacation home, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, after revelations a similarly provocative flag was flown outside his residence.
US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito last week faced calls by Democrats to recuse himself from cases involving former US president Donald Trump after the Times confirmed an inverted US flag — a symbol of the ex-president’s false election fraud claims — was raised at his Virginia home in 2021.
Then on Wednesday the daily reported an “Appeal to Heaven” flag was flown outside the Alito vacation home in New Jersey last summer.
Photo: Reuters
That flag, like the upside-down US flag, was carried to the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by Trump supporters seeking to block certification of the November 2020 election won by US President Joe Biden.
The newspaper published photographs of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag flying over a property on Long Beach Island, and cited half a dozen neighbors and passersby confirming that the banner flew at the property in July and September last year.
The flag — which bears the words “An Appeal to Heaven” above a green pine tree on a white background — dates back to the US Revolutionary War.
Although it fell into obscurity, over the past few years it became a symbol of support for Trump and a push for a more Christian-centric US government.
Last week 74-year-old Alito, who was nominated by Republican former US president George W. Bush and confirmed in 2006, pushed back on the criticism, saying the upside-down flag was briefly flown by his wife “in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
The justice has yet to respond publicly to the revelation of the second flag.
The report is certain to draw further ire from Democratic lawmakers who have claimed the initial flag provocation created an appearance of bias and was in conflict with his obligations as a justice of the US Supreme Court, which serves as a pinnacle of judicial authority.
The high court is weighing two cases which address the US Capitol riot, including a Trump claim of presidential immunity in his election interference case.
Rulings are due late next month or early July.
SURVEYED CONCERN: A poll showed 74 percent of respondents believe Australia is too economically reliant on China and 71 percent say Beijing is a security threat Regional security concerns are expected to overshadow lucrative trade ties when Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強) visits New Zealand and Australia this week, with the mood markedly different from the Chinese premier’s visit seven years ago. Li is to arrive in New Zealand today, before traveling to Australia at the weekend, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Australia is the top supplier of iron ore to China, its largest trading partner, but there is competition for Australia’s rare earths needed for electric vehicles and defense from Western security allies. New Zealand was the first Western nation to strike a free-trade agreement with
Down a Tokyo street lined with bright signs, up narrow stairs and behind a windowless door is a “snack bar” long cherished by regulars but hidden from tourists — until now. Snack bars are cozy, retro establishments found across Japan, often crammed into small buildings and equipped with karaoke systems that echo late into the night. They are typically run by a woman nicknamed “mama” who chats to customers while serving drinks with nibbles such as nuts, dried squid or simple cooked dishes. Despite being a fixture of Japanese nightlife since the post-war era, the tucked-away bars’ tight space can be intimidating, especially
‘FRESH INFILTRATION’: A man was killed in a gun battle with security forces and later suspected rebels lobbed grenades and fired at a checkpoint in the Doda area A suspected militant was killed and seven members of security forces were wounded in clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said yesterday. The first incident occurred late on Tuesday night in Hiranagar, a village near the frontier with Pakistan, which, like India, claims the Himalayan region in full. Security forces rushed to the border village, with a man killed in the resulting gunfight who police believed had crossed over from the Pakistan side. “This appears to be a fresh infiltration in which one terrorist was killed and the search for one more is ongoing,” Anand Jain, a top police officer, told reporters. Hours later, suspected
A brief boat ride from the thrumming nightclubs of Mykonos lies the UNESCO heritage site of Delos, one of the most important sanctuaries of the ancient Greek and Roman world. Surrounded by piercing azure waters, Delos’ 2,000-year-old buildings offer a microcosm of information on daily life during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. However, the site known for its temples guarded by stone lions could be gone forever in half a century, scientists warn. “Delos is condemned to disappear in around 50 years,” said Veronique Chankowski, head of the French archeological school of Athens, which has been excavating the site for the past 150