The left has a history of attempting to intimidate and delegitimize Supreme Court justices and pressure them to recuse themselves from major cases. Recently, the focus shifted from Justice Clarence Thomas to Justice Samuel Alito. The attacks against Alito began with a New York Times article about a dispute between his wife and neighbors, claiming he was a rabid partisan unable to perform his duties. However, there was no evidence to support this assertion, and flying a distress flag does not necessarily relate to the Stop the Steal campaign.
Even if the distress flag was a political gesture regarding the 2020 presidential election, Alito would have no reason to recuse himself from any cases. Justices often make political statements, and Alito’s wife’s actions do not bind him to Supreme Court ethical guidelines. It was imprudent of her to fly the flag, but she is entitled to her First Amendment rights. Additionally, by the time the flag was displayed, Trump had conceded the election, and there was no evidence of Alito diverging from his judicial philosophy for personal gain.
A new supposed ethical scandal emerged when Alito participated in a Bud Light boycott over the brand’s hiring of a transgender influencer. However, the so-called scandal was based on Alito selling stock between $1,000 and $15,000, which he disclosed himself. The Bud Light boycott had started earlier, and Alito sold the stock when its value was declining. He was within his rights to sell stock for any reason, and there is nothing prohibiting a justice from speaking out about non-legal issues under the code of ethics adopted by the Supreme Court.
Despite the lack of substance to the accusations against Alito, Democrats and the media continue to create new standards and imaginary ethical rules to question the legitimacy of the court. The focus on trivial and baseless claims against justices only serves to further polarize and undermine the credibility of the highest court in the land. David Harsanyi, a senior editor at The Federalist, highlights these attacks as part of a broader trend of attempts to tarnish conservative justices and create doubt around their ability to act impartially. The continued efforts to smear justices like Alito only erode public trust in the Supreme Court and the rule of law.
