On Monday, secret recordings were released that revealed the political views of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. According to the recordings, Alito expressed concern about the country’s political polarization and predicted that there would be no simple solution to the issue.
During a private conversation at the annual dinner of the Supreme Court Historical Society on June 3, he confidently stated, “One side or the other is going to win.”
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Progressive filmmaker Lauren Windsor, who attended the event under her real name, but posed as a conservative to obtain answers from the justices, recorded the comments. The Undercurrent, Windsor’s activist website, and Rolling Stone both published the recordings.
It seems like Alito has fully accepted his role as a partisan, something that liberals have been accusing him of for a while now, despite the court’s supposed nonpartisan stance.
During her conversation with Alito, Windsor pretended to be a conservative and expressed her belief that she would not be able to develop a positive relationship with liberals “in the way that is necessary for the polarization to come to an end.” She also asserted that the primary goal of the court should be to “win.”
He nodded in agreement and acknowledged, “You are probably correct. Ultimately, one side will emerge victorious. Although it would be ideal to coexist peacefully, it is challenging due to fundamental differences that cannot be reconciled. These differences cannot be resolved by compromising, so finding a middle ground is not an option.”
She expressed the belief that it was imperative to fight for the restoration of godliness in the country, and he eventually came around to her way of thinking.
When asked by Windsor, Roberts disagreed with the notion that the current court is particularly politically divided, countering the sentiment. He also dismissed her suggestion that America is inherently a Christian nation. The chief justice stood firm in his position.
When pressed for his thoughts on whether he should be the one to lead the nation towards a more moral path, Roberts responded by stating that it’s not for lawyers to decide, but rather for the people we elect to make such decisions. He asked Windsor, “Would you want me to be in charge of putting the nation on a more moral path?”
According to him, the court’s decisions should not take into account any particular faith or ideology, as he believes it is not their responsibility to do so. He also mentioned that he has friends from both Jewish and Muslim backgrounds, whose perspectives he takes into consideration.
He stated that their responsibility is to make the best decisions possible in each case.
Both the chief justice and Alito were nominated by then-President George W. Bush. The former is widely regarded as the most moderate of the court’s five right-wing justices, whereas the latter is known for his outspoken conservatism.
According to Windsor, she believed that secretly recording the justices was the right thing to do. She argued that the court operates in secrecy and lacks accountability, despite the existence of substantial evidence of ethical violations.
Accusations of impropriety have been leveled against Justices Clarence Thomas and Alito for accepting lavish gifts from a conservative donor who had business in front of the court. According to recently released data, Thomas has accepted gifts worth more than $4 million since 2004, while Alito has received over $140,000, making him the third-highest recipient among current and former justices.
Controversy surrounded Alito when it came to light that his homes were displaying an “Appeal to Heaven” flag and an upside-down American flag. These symbols have often been linked to far-right politics, Christian nationalism, and those who took part in the Capitol riots on January 6th.
According to Alito, the flags were not intended to make any political statement. Instead, they were a response to personal attacks that his wife had faced from their neighbors. However, the neighbor in question has publicly expressed doubt over the Justice’s claims. This controversy has caused widespread criticism from Democrats in Congress, with many high-profile members calling for him to recuse himself from any Jan. 6-related cases.
