Alito sits out Supreme Court case decision involving Trump

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sat out of the court's consideration regarding a petition against President Donald Trump, according to Newsweek.

The case, filed by plaintiff Dr. Mac Truong, who has filed several lawsuits against political leaders in addition to Trump including Vice President JD Vance, and TexasGovernorGreg Abbott, "saw the petition for a writ of certiorari dismissed with Justice Alito explicitly taking 'no part' in the matter," Newsweek reports.

A "writ of certiorari" is a formal request to a higher court (usually the U.S. Supreme Court) asking it to review a decision from a lower court, essentially asking the court to "be informed of" the case to correct a significant legal error or resolve conflicting interpretations of law, with the court granting review only for compelling reasons.

"The Court did not specify the reason for Justice Alito's non-participation," they add.

Truong's lawsuits have involved allegations of abuse of power, constitutional violations (13th and 14th Amendments), intellectual property theft, and various personal philosophical or social issues, they explain.

A photograph published in May 2024 showed an inverted U.S. flag flying outside the Alitos' Virginia home in January 2021. Flying the U.S. flag upside down is a traditional sign of dire distress, but in the context of January 6 and the peaceful transfer of power, it became a symbol used by Trump supporters who falsely claimed widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

A second report revealed this flag was flown at the Alitos' New Jersey beach house in 2023. This flag features a pine tree on a white background and dates back to the Revolutionary War, but it has more recently been adopted by some Christian nationalists and "Stop the Steal" protesters.

Justice Alito has refused calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election or the January 6 Capitol riot as a result of the incidents.

In letters to Congress, he said he had no involvement in the decision to fly the flags, placing the responsibility solely on his wife, who he said was exercising her First Amendment rights in the context of "very nasty neighborhood disputes."