Justice Alito’s Flag Controversy Brings Scrutiny to Supreme Court Ethics | Amanpour and Company
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- In the U.S., controversy over the Supreme Court continues. According to The New York Times, a second provocative flag was flown at a home belonging to Justice Samuel Alito. This comes after an upside-down American flag, a symbol of Trump’s election deniers, was seen flying outside Alito’s house shortly after the January 6th insurrection. Several justices have now had their impartiality called into question with little consequence. Aaron Tang, author of "Supreme Hubris," believes the Court is overplaying its hand. The author joins the show to discuss how to restore public trust to this vital institution.
Originally aired on May 23, 2024
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NO ONE NEEDS TO WONDER.. Conservative Scotus Judges are working for someone other than the peoples of US...
For Trump and his boss Putin!
👍🏿
Putin gang 😂😂
More generally, for the Federalist Society.
Damned RIGHT!
It makes me sick to be an American, and know that a justice of the supreme court can get Trump fever
I very closely watch what takes place down in the states living in Canada, because before too long, what is happening politically in the States tends to happen in the UK and Canada. Here in Canada, since we've had Trudeau for so long, we are unfortunately ripe for people to think, oh let's try conservatives for a while. Well, thanks to Trump's madness, conservative isn't just a political party anymore. It's a dangerous cult.
They are controlled by the Federalist Society’s deep, deep pockets. No shame, no morals.
It’s beyond time Alito and Thomas need to be impeached!
Can't! They would take it to the SCOTUS and that would be the end of that!! Trump ,will want to take his convictions to the SCOTUS as well! The SCOTUS is NOT working for America but for Trump and his Republicans!
long past over-due.
Impeached for their opinion ?
Don't stop there!
Frankly, that should include Roberts on the first line. The court bears his name. Does he have control or not. He could deal with them. He chooses and is CHOOSING EVERY DAY THIS CONTINUES.
Turn yourself in, turn states evidence against the worst of them and let’s move on
Before this flag situation, we already knew that Alito was corrupt. After Democrats take both houses, we MUST investigate Alito's crimes. Then impeach and imprison.
Time to impeach Alito and Thomas!
If the GOP won't impeach dumb Donald, they will never impeach Alito or Thomas.
Who thought it was a good idea to allow Supreme Court judges to accept gifts? No other judges are allowed to do this for good reason. This was not the traditional way.
No one thought it was a good idea. They got caught and are trying to gaslight us.
A question from a non-American: Are judges not meant to be non-political?
If so, what consequences would failure to observe this requirement carry? Thank you.
@@rosanna5515they are supposed to be nonpartisan however these justices seem to be thumbing their noses at accountability. If you have the chance google ´Project 2025´. This is the playbook the far right wants to roll out should Trump be elected and unfortunately there are people in power that will do or say almost anything for that to happen.
@@rosanna5515Absolutely but only in the rest of Western liberal democracies. As a Canadian and neighbor our judges are not allowed to have any political affiliation or activism at all. And thank God our supreme Court justices have to retire at 75. In the US it seems, all bets are off. Look how political the appointments are FFS. It's a joke.
There's no substantial check on them not reporting the gifts.
This like a bad nightmare I wish I could wake up from
It is all in the push to make the country a Theocracy and destroy secularism
if this is your nightmare you live a very comfortable spoon-fed life. Omg
VOTE
@@svensven8994 the supreme court just ruled that racial gerrymandering isn't really racial gerrymandering. For minorities this is an absolute nightmare. And for women, an absolute nightmare.
America needs a peaceful protest at the supreme court. VOTE BLUE EVERYONE.❤❤❤❤❤
THIS is how you show you vote *#BLUE**!* 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
No branch of government is above the Constitution, the rule of law, oversight, and scrutiny. It’s absurd that they claim it. They need to face accountability in a major way. They claim to have the power to rule the country as a monarchy.
The Constitution is so vague that it can be twisted and spun for anything the Republicans want, and they do! Like the 2ed amendment for example!
Here here !!!
Your country has at least nine kings above the law deciding if a past presidency is also a king above the law.
Delusional! Repugnant Party! JUST SAY NO!
Oh wow! What country do you live in?🤔🤣
It always comes down to 'follow the money'!
Follow the MAGA.
And the power!
Church and State have been connected by Just Us Alito and Just Us Clarence Thomas...et al. Corruption at it's finest.
Sadly true.
Lady Justice blind scales? Trump walking around free.... question answered!
Since when was she blind.
Alito always struck me as being the worst type of person to be awarded a Supreme Court Justice position.
He don’t look right. 🧘🏿
He looks alt-right.
“Elections have consequences….”
Barack Obama
In order to scrutinize the ethics of the SCOTUS, they would have to possess some in the first place.
Who Alito gonna blame this time? The family poodle?
For the flag in his vacation 2nd house? Why… his 2nd wife of course.
The pool boy
The wind! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Alito and Thomas have completely destroyed the integrity of the Supreme Court
If they were CEOs of public traded corporations they would be required to step down immediately ..no bonuses no pensions no health care ....benefits just walk away ...now
CEOs get away with lots of law breaking and are rarely held accountable.
🎯
Not in the UK CEOs are in bed with the political class and suffer no consequences for their malfeasance. Look at the British Post office scandal for example, no one will go to jail for the hundreds of lives ruined and even those who took their own lives because of the behaviour of the post office board and CEO.
Looking in from Australia I can’t believe this is not being addressed by the Chief Justice
Also in Australia, chief Justice has no power to compel the other justices to do anything.
The Chief Justice has no power.
"The conservative position isn't that they want the states to have the right to give you more freedom, they want the states to have the right to take it away."
😢
Right limited government. Wrong slogan😮
IMPEACH BOTH THOMAS & ALITO!! Americans are paying them to APPEAR IMPARTIAL. THOMAS & ALITO are not meeting the expectations of the job!!!
So what it all boils down to, is the Supreme Court thinks that it is above the law.
Which clearly makes them unqualified for their positions and duties.
If the “excuse” Alito gave were true, and I don’t believe him for a minute, it would demonstrate that he doesn’t have the maturity that a Supreme court justice should have. The flag at his vacation home also proves he’s lying.
What Ethics ???
"What? Ethics? Nah, we're good here" - John Roberts
Why aren’t these justices thrown out of the Supreme Court for flagrant snubbing of the code of ethics and basic decency?
Why?? Because the people are too lazy to protest and not conscious enough to upheld the constitution and thee law of the land. VOTE FOR AMERICA, VOTE BLUE.
We have a Supreme Court with 3-second-rate religious and political extremists appointed by a president who didn’t win the popular vote and received a little more than 25% of the eligible vote.
One Supreme Court judge bases his abortion decision on arguments of a 17th-century jurist (Mathew Hale) who conceived the notion that husbands can’t be prosecuted for raping their wives, who sentenced women to death as “witches,” and whose misogyny stood out even in his time.
Another declares that the job of a lawyer is to "to know, love, and serve God."
Three of these Justices shamelessly lied before a Senate committee about their commitment to legal precedent concerning Roe V Wade.
Finally, these justices show contempt for the deeply held democracy-sustaining beliefs of our founders (who they refer to only when it suits their extremist gun-obsessed, pollution-spreading, women-demeaning worldview).
Well done !
Thank you for posting. You Get It.
Corruption - plain and simple
33 supreme court justices sounds just about right... give 'em 12 year terms, confirm 3 new ones every presidential term, and have them hear cases in random panels of 7, same ethics as the appeals court.
If you vote to grant cert, you can't hear that case. The case load can be larger, and it will remove this "duty to sit" nonsense that's being used as a fig leaf against what should be obvious recusals.
Absolutely!
Everyone keeps referring to "Supreme Court ethics" as if they had any ethics at all.
Scrutiny of Supreme Court Ethics? 😂 They have none.
To be fair - the Supreme court Judges must comprise of equal number of both Republican &: Democratic appointed Judges.Every Judge should only have a max of 12 years unless re- appointed. Every Judge can be removed if proven to have ethics problems.
You lost me at unless reappointed.
Humility is necessary for true wisdom. May it be so in the Supreme Court. The dishonor Alito and Thomas have done has jeopardized their careers.
Unworthy.
How can those seditious justices be fired?
No one should be judge in their own trial... unless you're a member of the supreme court, in which case you're fine, let your freak flag fly.
Imagine, if you will, that the flag was a BLM flag at Justice Jackson's house...
Republicans was the would lose their minds VOTE BIDEN HARRIS NO 3RD PARTY
OH! If that ever happened no one would hear the END of it!!!!
Justice in America is a joke. A bad joke.
And Samuel Alito is the punchline.
Because justice in America is for sale to the highest bidder.
Why doesnt somebody ask George Bush what he thinks about Alito's actions,
and if he has any regrets about nominating him to the court?
THAT sucker has been AWFUL QUIET all during this whole mess!!! And before he left he said: "I will be vindicated!" So, wtf was he talking about!??? THIS crap?? Bush was the 1st NEOCON to be president, and THAT was the beginning of ALL of our recent troubles here. There are plenty of dots to connect. Another Screwball who's mother said that "He was the 'chosen one'. Now wtf is THAT supposed to mean????????? 😡😡🤬
It's not a controversy. It is treason.
I don't believe Thomas, Alito or Gorsuch (TAG) will be swayed by congress, common sense or fairness.
No one can tell me why it’s been 2 years since we’ve heard of these flags ?
I believe Roberts has also accepted questionable gifts.
Then our system has a weak link. No one is perfect and everyone needs accountability. Vote blue so this can change.
If high court judges can’t “get-by” on 300K/year, then DON’T accept the position! NO ONE forced them to a lifetime job with only a measly six figure remuneration for the chore.
🤷🏼♂️
P.S. 13 Districts = 13 judges, AND before November. Period.
I'd LOVE to be making $300k a year. I worked my tush off for less than a third of that and maintained my integrity.
Bagels vs, Scotus
Compare and contrast:
At a time when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was accepting lavish trips paid for by GOP megadonor Harlan Crow, fellow Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was turning down bagels and lox from high school friends, over concerns she could be violating the court's ethics rules for accepting gifts, according to a new report.
Forward reported that friends who attended Hunter College High School in Manhattan with Kagan in the 1970s wanted to send her a "care package" of bagels, lox, babka, chocolates, and other inexpensive items in February 2021.
However, they later scrapped the idea after Kagan expressed concerns about issues it could pose under the Supreme Court's rules on gifts and disclosures, per Forward.
"We thought it would be a sign of support to send her some lox, but she was too ethical to take the lox," said Sarah Schulman, a former school friend, according to the media outlet.
And now we Thomas and Alito, who have NO integrity.
No integrity. No humility ego and self-interest.
I would be ok with her accepting the food. The equivalent of buying lunch for her and her clerks.
However This behavior in comparison is like night and day. They are truly shameless
The company I work for, no one was to take gifts. Your were fired if they caught you. Why should our Supreme Court be above this ?
Can't these 'justices" be sued? A liberay group should start to sue Alito and Thomas
No, because hypothetically they could just appeal such a suit to the Supreme Court, which would put them in judgement of themselves. That’s why it’s up to Congress to judge Supreme Court justices.
@@trevinbeattie4888 I hope Biden expands the court to 12
Let's not forget it was recently reported that FEDERAL JUDGE ALIEN CANON was remiss in reporting that fairly recently she took 2 trips to a luxury lodge in Montana via the Federalist Society. Perhaps she was hiking or learning how to fly fish or she was getting pointers to make sure the MAL case never gets to trial before the election
*BINGO!!* It *STINKS!!* Like Rotten fish!!!
Terrific interview and outstanding analysis by Aaron Tang. Thank you!
I’d not heard of Aaron Tang before but his commentary and delivery of difficult and complex matters is perfect. Thank you for this informative and illuminating interview.
As soon as scotus made the recusal law a self-governing process, they placed themselves above the law. No one shall be their own judge and jury
Strange that they, themselves, would have made their own law - who could have seen this coming?😂
@@GS-uy4xo Hello😆
@@GS-uy4xo What's so damned funny troll?
These are top 9 judges in all the U.S.? This sort of lapse in ‘judgement’ from one of them, and this is not the only slip up, makes the country look like a joke!
It’s not a country. It’s a people farm.
It's also honor to Corporate. I pledge allegiance to the Corporation of the United States of America.😮
Even the Justices who have not been tainted by the scandals of Alito Thomas et al, must go. Their silence speaks volumes. The entire court has to be disbanded and replaced.
Read the Alito written opinion on the South Carolina voting maps. He needs to be impeached.
Why the f did the NYTImes wait 3+ years to report this story? Is the NYT in the tank for trump, for Alito, for Thomas?
For Power.
Why are the other Justices not doing anything about this issue, does this not tear down any future historical failure of the group as a whole?
One would think, given the gravity of the role of Supreme Court Justice, INTEGRITY should be the first (and perhaps only) qualification. It's very sad that the position is adulterated.
A thoughtful and well-articulated presentation.
Truly disturbing to see. Obviously, they hold too much power, and need to be reined in with a firm set of ethics. It appears they think they’re above the law.
The number of SCOTUS can be adjusted at will. It could as well be reduced in size based on tenure, Get rid of the Opus Dei fanatic, drunk guy and pubic hair people. Then increased it back in size.
They had judge Jackson recuse herself why can't they for the others
Congress or President needs to simply write a letter to the Chief Justice asking for the resignation of Judges Thomas and Alito. That's all. Then let them twist in the wind.
Ya think they care ? They have proven they are above the law. This will change nothing.
Name one case they didn't favor who was connected to their friends
Excellent discussion! Thank you👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you
I love this guy's solutions -- just get Alito and Thomas to reign it in. Yeah, that's the ticket! And while you're at it, we can urge Trump to behave more ethically!
We must begin referring to our High Court Justices in America as our Supreme Leaders.
Correct you are, Justice is not the objective.
There suppose to be,obviously not😂😂😂😂😂
High Court Just Us 2024
Bullshit to THAT!! I call them what they ARE! *Traitors!!*
you would hope the justices would approach this with a good faith effort... but it seems they only want the appearance of good faith... and are not acting in good faith.
Exactly
The resent overturned Colorado's right to disavow the leader of the insurrection to remain on a ballot for office against our 14th amendment. Appeals of any recent rulings and request for recusals by justices with this information that have the appearance of bias, these appeals are justified and need done to establish a right to re-litigate, and it needs done expeditiously. If denied for redress then, then petition DOJ to investigate. In my opinion
Alito needs to go.
Sam Alito could put a "Trump 2024" campaign sign on his front lawn and still rule on cases directly involving Donald Trump, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. It is sickening.
As always, great reporting and questions. I kept asking, "How can congress reign in the SC?". Here you answered that question. Vote 💙 in Nov.
Well, now it is more than a neighbourly dispute. Now it's nationwide!
Not nearly enough. He’ll skate through this, because, “…it’s all his wife’s fault”.
Typical Party of Personal Responsibility, intrinsically incapable of displaying an iota of same.🤨
Surreal witnessing the end of the USA in real time
We need to have a new non-political appointment process for Supreme Court Justices, and term limits. No more lifetime appointments...
This is some of the best journalism there is. Keep it up!
Isn't it high time, that those guys were scrutinized?
SCOTUS: lifetime appointment, more-than-comfortable salary, prestige, all with ZERO accountability - nice work if you can get it!
Every single time you think you can no longer be shocked. You think, this is so low, how could it get worse? Alito, hold my beer, boy!
This isnt about ethics. Its really about judge Alito being unfit to serve on the Supreme court. An insurrection supporter is NOT a supporter of the constitution or the rule of law. He has no business serving as any type of judge let alone serving in the highest court in the land!
*100% Correct!*
Why can't judges from lower courts oversee the supreme court? They just have to interpret their code of ethics.
Why doesn't Tang mention the fact that congress could pass a law making it illegal for federal judges to receive expensive gifts from anyone who isn't a relative?
He did say there is a code of ethics which applies to all federal judges, which includes restrictions on accepting gifts; it’s covered by U.S.C. Title 5, Part III, Subpart, F Chapter 73, §7353. The problem as Tang stated is that the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism to comply with this law other than congressional impeachment and removal.
C'mon, look the other way. It's just a flag. Who cares? Wink wink....there's no way back now.
The US DOJ is a faded forgotten, singer playing shabby roadhouses for drinks. And each judge that Trump has appeared before, including the 9 immortals, is dead bang guilty of obscene public derogation of duty and flat out ignoring the law.
Sad is a country waiting for a hero .
The SC feel they are above the law and above reproach.
The flags and gifts/bribes are remarkable, brazen, intentional and unethical. The blatant and flagrant disregard for the rule of law is a cry for help. They are testing their powers and have delved into criminal territory with open eyes.
The highest court in the land has the lowest ethics.
Oh no, not scrutiny! What's next? Double Secret Probation?
Alito could have put a huge sign in his front yard reading "Proud maga supporter lives here" and it would have been no different.
Here here!
Congress should absolutely pass some voting rights laws that include "supreme court shall not have power to strike down this law as unconstitutional" clauses.
If SCOTUS remains this corrupt, we need to take the intermediate step of NOT taking their views as final on the Constitutionality of certain laws. SCOTUS has proven itself irrational/politically motivated/bribed in favor of certain moneyed interests, and not fair arbiters of the law. So long as they remain so we must challenge their nonsense to protect essential rights.
For example, the 14th Amendment is exactly CONSTITUTIONAL, but the Roberts court can't find its way to obvious rational interpretation. They betray the country, betray We the People, and betray their mandate as judges with so many of their rulings. These corrupt politicians-in-robes are long PAST-DUE for some Checks and Balances!
Qongress wants to strip voting rights, not expand them.
Qongress wants to strip voting rights, not expand them.
Qongress wants to strip voting rights, not expand them.
Unfortunately, in 2024 thanks to Alito and Thomas, “Supreme Court ethics” is an oxymoron.
Excellent interview thank you!
And this man is a Supreme Court Justice. Who Nominated this “Nominated superstar”?
WTF???? This is so out of hand!!!! Let's do something immediately!
And thats our supreme court. Yipee.😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Many unworthy.
The actions within this household are enough for Alto to have his "impartiality to be reasonably questioned" he needs to recuse! Full stop!!
One would believe that Alito would be so respectful of his role as a Supreme Court Justice - and the seriousness of that position in the U.S. government - that he would be incredibly sensitive concerning ANY association with controversy or prejudice related to his unique position.
SCOTUS is untouchable? WTF!
These people must be neutral in decision making when having this privilege. It is not working as there are no expectations of these people to be accountable to the law of ethics. Something must be done before the USA inherits the unthinkable,Trump. An interested follower from the UK.
Impeach both Thomas and Alito! Investigations are more than justified with current pubic evidence.
Also, the Bar Association COULD hold hearings and potentially disbar these out of control justices.
The Judicial Conference can make statements decrying this behavior as in direct violation of codes of judicial conduct.
Those 2 approaches wont remove them, but will clarify how outside acceptable behavior the justices have gotten.
It's like giving the teacher a apple in school.😅😅😅😅😅
13 districts 13 judges
What ethics? No oversight of the highest level of accountability? Fairness and impartiality is certainly not leading the rulings of late. Term limits for SCOTUS and CODE OF CONDUCT must be put in place for ALL public servants, acceptable conduct can no longer be expected given the devolution of American legal framework.
The judicial reasoning in Justice Kagan's brilliant and poignant dissent, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, exposes its perversion (my characterization, not Justice Kagan's) in Alito's majority opinion. If the judicial reasoning of Alito's opinion were sound, one would not be so tempted to see the Alexander decision as racially motivated. But it is not sound. Alito's decision is so "upside-down," so disrespectful of the Supreme Court's Cooper precedent, that a first year law student should recognize-once again-stare decisis is given even lip service by the majority's members only when testifying under oath at Senate confirmation hearings. Shamefully "funny" how these The Federalist Society scholars, once claiming to abhor "judicial activism," seemingly are unbounded by the Constitution's text, unaware of the Constitution's history, and activist in restricting American's individual rights whenever they so choose. Alito's Alexander decision smacks of racism, racism in paranoid fear of "political apartheid" while engendering actual apartheid, not so long ago-and perhaps still-recognized by most Americans as the human scourge that it is. (Alito's "paranoia" in Alexander is as it was in the recent Trump immunity hearing, where he worried aloud about prosecutions of presidents losing close elections though there had never been any in our entire history before Trump induced the attack on our Capitol and our government. Of course, when the Court heard the immunity arguments, most of us were unaware of Alito's penchant for flag-flying and what that should tell us about the safety of the American government as we've known it in the hands of the current Roberts Court.) Sadly, Alito's Alexander writing continues the Roberts Court's bent toward complete obliviousness to real world America, where racism persists, and toward complete evisceration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.