The only one who can hold Samuel Alito It seems that the person mentioned is Samuel Alito. It was a sad state of affairs that was brought into relief on Monday, when Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick DurbinOne vocal champion for Supreme Court ethics reform, calls on judge to recuse himself from cases overturning 2020 election after New York Times disclosure that an upside-down American flag flew outside his home in early 2021—a symbol of support Donald TrumpAlito’s rebellion which Alito blamed on his wife. However, with no outside mechanism to monitor the high court and Republicans unlikely to support serious efforts to rein in it, Durbin admitted that he ultimately had no real way to prompting Alito to answer for his apparent conflict of interest.
“I don’t think there’s much to be gained from the hearing at this point,” said Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate. told reporters Monday. He added that Alito—who is also under close scrutiny for according to the report sells Bud Light stock amid right-wing boycott over brewer’s marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney—should “retreat from cases involving Trump and his administration.” But “there is no other way than impeachment,” he said, “and we are not at that point yet.”
It’s discouraging to see this sense of resignation from one of the most powerful lawmakers in Washington, and not all Democrats agree with it. Sheldon White Houselead sponsor of the Supreme Court Ethics, Denial, and Transparency Act, speak Politico that Alito “offered strange excuses to Fox News is not a substitute for a real investigation” into whether he needs to recuse himself from Trump cases — and that a An official investigation could highlight to the American public Alito’s outrageous behavior. But when it comes to actually disciplining Alito or keeping him away decision Whether Trump can commit crimes with impunity, Durbin isn’t wrong: For now at least, Alito and his fellow justices are essentially their own watchdogs.
All of this speaks to the Supreme Court’s profound lack of institutional integrity, as well as the political cynicism of Republicans — to be fair, some of them even also expressed concern about the Alito flag incident. Lindsey Grahamthe top Republican on the Durbin committee, admit that it was “poor judgment” for Alitos to display the “Stop the Theft” sign — a poor quality, one thinks, for one of the most powerful judges in the country. What was interesting was in May, when Durbin called for a hearing on the gifts Clarence Thomas received from powerful conservative donors, senators gather behind conservative courts and accused Democrats about an “invisible effort” to “destroy the legitimacy of [John Roberts’] Court. So why an upside-down flag hanging outside Alito’s home — days after an attempt to overthrow democracy in which most Republican officials across the country participated — is somehow different ?
Some Republicans, such as Sen John kennedy, defended Alito by claiming that he was not responsible for his wife’s political activities. “I don’t see any evidence that Judge Alito was involved,” Kennedy said. Of course, there will be no “proof” without investigation. But even then, an investigation is unlikely to produce evidence convincing enough for Republicans to do anything that might upset the court majority they have established.
This doesn’t mean Democrats should resign themselves to this scandalous court: They may not get anywhere with their Republican colleagues, but they should take every opportunity they get to make his case to American voters, who have choices at the election. Five months’ worth of ballots will decide whether these judges will be subject to any oversight at all – or whether they will continue to operate as they do and be completely unaccountable to the public. “Justice Alito overturned the flag,” Democratic Rep Jamie Raskin Written Monday. “The Roberts Court overturned the Constitution. Let’s get America back on its feet in November.” However, until then, things may continue as normal.
