Democrats renew calls for US Supreme Court's Alito to recuse amid flag flap

Democrats intensified their calls on Thursday for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to step aside in two cases - one on Donald Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution and the other on a charge involving the Capitol attack - after a media report that another provocative flag flew outside one of his homes.

A flag bearing the phrase "Appeal to Heaven" flew outside Alito's vacation home on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, in July and September of 2023, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing photographs and interviews. This type of flag, which has come to symbolize hopes by some conservative activists for a more Christian-centered U.S. government, was carried by some Trump supporters during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot .

The report came days after it was revealed that an upside-down American flag had flown outside Alito's Virginia home in the aftermath of the riot and the days before Democratic President Joe Biden's inauguration.

The inverted flag was adopted as a symbol by some Trump supporters, including some of the rioters who stormed the Capitol as Trump sought to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden with false claims of widespread voting fraud and a "stolen" election.