Justice Alito questions possibility of political compromise in secret recordings

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito questions whether a compromise between left and right is possible in a conversation posted Monday on social media. We also hear conservative justice agreeing with a woman who says the United States should return “to a place of godliness.”

The audio was posted on X by liberal filmmaker Lauren Windsor. She said it was recorded at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner last week.

“One side or the other is going to win,” Alito said. “There may be a way of working, a way of living together peacefully, but it’s difficult, you know, because there are differences on fundamental things that really cannot be compromised.”

Windsor then told Alito: “I think the solution really comes down to winning the moral argument. For example, the people of this country who believe in God must continue to fight for this, to return our country to a place of godliness.

“I agree with you,” Alito responded.

Windsor also spoke with Chief Justice John Roberts, who rejected a similar argument. When Windsor suggested that the court should lead the nation on a “Christian” path, Roberts responded, “I don’t know if that’s true.” »

Alito has rejected calls to withdraw from Supreme Court cases involving former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 defendants after stories emerged about controversial flags flying above his homes.

In letters to members of Congress, Alito said his wife, Martha-Ann, was responsible for flying both an upside-down flag over their home in 2021 and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag. ” on their New Jersey beach house last year. Both flags resembled those carried by the rioters who violently stormed the Capitol in January 2021, while echoing Trump’s false claims of election fraud.

Roberts declined an invitation to meet with Democratic senators to talk about the ethics of the Supreme Court and the flags that flew outside Alito’s homes.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Windsor said she recorded the conversations with Alito and Roberts because “the Supreme Court is shrouded in secrecy and they refuse to submit to any accountability in the face of overwhelming evidence of serious violations of the law.” ‘ethics. that it is justified to take this type of measure.

The Associated Press