Upside-down American flag linked to election deniers displayed outside US Supreme Court justice’s house
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An upside-down American flag, which has been associated by some with Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside the Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021, weeks after the January 6 protests, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
It was not clear if the upside-down flag was meant to signal support of Mr Trump, the Times reported.
Some Trump supporters displayed inverted American flags in support of the former president after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Dozens of the rioters carried the upside-down flags through city streets, while chanting slogans like “Stop the Steal.”
According to US code for the flag, the flag should never be displayed upside down “except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property”.
Mr Alito told the paper that his wife hung the flag in response to signs in neighbours’ yards.
“I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Mr Alito told the Times in an emailed statement.
“It was briefly placed by Mrs Alito in response to a neighbour’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mr Alito.
The paper reported that the upside-down flag was photographed at Mr Alito’s home in Alexandria, Virginia on January 17, 2021, by neighbours who were alarmed by the symbolism.
The Times said it recently obtained those images and included one in its report.
