CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS AND PROGRESSIVE GROUPS DEMAND SENATE INVESTIGATION INTO JUSTICE ALITO FOLLOWING LATEST SCANDAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JUNE 5, 2024
PRESS CONTACT:
Sarah Harris, [email protected]
Britt Jacovich, [email protected]
Photos of the Event Are Available Here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, leading progressive advocates, joined by Supreme Court reform champions Representatives Hank Johnson and Pramila Jayapal, demanded a sweeping investigation into Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. This call to action comes on the heels of explosive reports that symbols supporting the January 6th insurrection were displayed at Alito’s homes. Speakers urged Congress to launch a full and thorough investigation into Justice Alito’s actions as well as push forward essential legislation to reform the Supreme Court, including a binding code of ethics.
“For anyone who hasn’t been paying attention, there are some serious red flags on the Supreme Court right now, and they don’t all belong to Justice Samuel Alito. The Supreme Court majority is rife with corruption and conflicts of interest, accountable to no one except the conservative billionaires showering it with gifts, and the convicted criminal who packed the Court with three of its most right-wing justices when he was president,” said Christina Harvey, Executive Director of Stand Up America. “We need to pass Rep. Johnson’s TERM Act to enact 18 year term limits for current and future Supreme Court justice— because insurrectionist flags and voluntary codes of conduct aren’t the only things that haven’t aged well. As a mom, I already knew that in 18 years a baby becomes an angry, disgruntled teenager, but apparently a Supreme Court Justice becomes an angry, disgruntled insurrectionist.”
“Most Americans have lost faith in the MAGA controlled Supreme Court, an institution they see as corrupt and not accountable to both the people and the rule of law,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director, Rahna Epting. “It is past time for Justice Thomas and Justice Alito to recuse themselves from January 6 and Trump related cases given their clear conflict of interests. And if they won’t hold themselves accountable, then Democrats in the Senate need to rise to this occasion and do their job. They are not powerless and they need to stop acting like they are.”
“At a bare minimum, Alito should recuse himself from all January 6 cases or cases involving Trump,” said Jake Faleschini, Justice Program Director, Alliance for Justice. “Alito joins Thomas in being a justice who isn’t just partisan but is willfully degrading the integrity of the Supreme Court.”
“The members of the Center for Popular Democracy are organizing every day around bread and butter issues like housing, healthcare, education and climate justice. They deserve a Supreme Court that will protect their basic human rights. But over and over again, and particularly now, we see SCOTUS justices that refuse to excuse themselves and refuse to act ethically and impartially. This latest example- Justice Alito flying an upside flag- warrants a full investigation. The SCOTUS should be the most ethical branch of government. Instead we realize it is the least. We need ethics reform, court expansion and term limits for this court,” said Jennifer Flynn Walker, co-chief of Campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy.
“The same justices who have shown us that they prioritize special interests over the rights of the American people will soon announce their decisions in two more cases that could further endanger abortion in our country,” said Yvonne Gutierrez, Chief Strategy Officer at Reproductive Freedom for All. “These decisions should be made by a person who is pregnant with their doctors — not by politicians and not by a corrupt court that we cannot count on to deliver fair and impartial decisions. The time to restore faith in the Court is now, and to do so, Justice Alito’s actions must be investigated and we must reform the Court, including through a binding code of ethics.”
“Report after report has revealed deep partisanship in our nation’s highest court, yet the justices continue on unchecked—all while Donald Trump cheers them on. This is not normal and this is not acceptable,” said Maggie Jo Buchanan, Managing Director of Demand Justice.
On May 29, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sent a recalcitrant letter to Senators Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse, senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, rejecting their calls for his recusal from cases involving January 6th. Durbin and Whitehouse also urged Chief Justice John Roberts to act, however, Justice Roberts declined to meet with Democrats about ethics concerns amid the scandal.
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About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with nearly two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.7 million calls to lawmakers, registered over 100,000 voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.
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