Alito Spoke With Trump Shortly Before Supreme Court Filing; The New York Times, January 8, 2025

Adam Liptak, The New York Times ; Alito Spoke With Trump Shortly Before Supreme Court Filing

"Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. spoke with President-elect Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, not long before Mr. Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to delay his sentencing following his conviction in New York in a case arising from hush money payments.

Justice Alito said the call was a routine job reference for a former law clerk whom Mr. Trump was considering for a government position.

It was not clear, however, why Mr. Trump would make a call to check references, a task generally left to lower-level aides.

Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, an advocacy group that seeks more openness at the Supreme Court, said the call was deeply problematic given the ethics controversies swirling around the court in general and Justice Alito in particular."

Supreme Court Ethics Controversies: All The Scandals That Led Biden To Endorse Code Of Conduct; Forbes, July 29, 2024

Alison Durkee , Forbes; Supreme Court Ethics Controversies: All The Scandals That Led Biden To Endorse Code Of Conduct

"President Joe Biden endorsed the Supreme Court imposing a binding code of ethics on Monday, following a string of recent ethics issues the court has faced that have ramped up criticism of the court and sparked cries for a code of conduct from lawmakers and legal experts."

Supreme Court Set to Decide Landmark Cases Amid Ethics Controversies; KQED, June 10, 2024

Mina Kim , KQED; Supreme Court Set to Decide Landmark Cases Amid Ethics Controversies

"With its term drawing to a close, the U.S. Supreme Court is getting ready to rule on major issues like abortion access, gun regulations, and whether former president Trump has immunity from civil litigation. Meanwhile, Justice Samuel Alito is still facing questions – and calls for recusal– over political flags flown at his houses. We’ll discuss the ethics controversies swirling around the court and look at what the upcoming rulings could mean for the presidential election… the country… and you.

Guests:

Vikram Amar, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law - He clerked for Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the United States Supreme Court.

Mary Ziegler, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law - Her most recent book is "Roe: The History of a National Obsession.""

Supreme Court Ethics Controversies: Alito’s Upside-Down Flag Flying Draws Concern; Forbes, May 17, 2024

Alison Durkee , Forbes; Supreme Court Ethics Controversies: Alito’s Upside-Down Flag Flying Draws Concern

"Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito flew an upside-down American flag outside his house after the 2020 election, The New York Times reported Thursday—a symbol of the “Stop the Steal” movement challenging the election results—the latest in a string of recent ethics issues the court has faced that have ramped up criticism of the court and sparked cries for a binding code of ethics from lawmakers and legal experts...

Alito said in a statement to the Times about the flag flying that he “had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” claiming “it was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”"