Alito's beach house displayed 'Appeal to Heaven' flag, a 'provocative symbol,' report says
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s beach house in New Jersey displayed an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, another “provocative symbol.” (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press)
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s beach house in New Jersey displayed an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, another “provocative symbol,” the New York Times reports.
The flag, created during the American Revolution, was flown during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. It is also known as the Pine Tree flag.
According to the New York Times, the flag is “a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms.”
The phrase “appeal to heaven” derives from 17th century philosopher John Locke, who advocated rebellion to overthrow unjust rule.
It’s the second time this month that Alito has been in the news because of a flag controversy. An upside-down flag was flown outside his Virginia home in the weeks after the Capitol assault.
The inverted flag was used by Capitol rioters and supporters of stolen-election claims. Alito said his wife had flown the flag following a dispute with neighbors over their offensive anti-Trump yard signs.
The New York Times based its report on the beach house flag on interviews with neighbors and three photographs independently taken on different dates in July and September 2023.
The flag was on display as the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether Jan. 6 rioters could be prosecuted for corruptly obstructing an official congressional proceeding.
Several ethics experts raised questions about display of the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, including Charles Geyh, a professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana.
“When a judge celebrates his predispositions by hoisting them on a flag,” Geyh told the New York Times, “that’s deeply disturbing.”
