AOC Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Supreme Court Justices Thomas, Alito

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a pair of impeachment articles against Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Clarence Thomas on Wednesday.

The Alito Charges: The first charge against Justice Alito has to do with the upside-down American flag and appeal to heaven flag flown outside his home, both have been associated with the "Stop the Steal" movement. Alito said the flags were his wife's decision. Two Trump-related cases were pending before the court when the flags were first reported. According to the impeachment documents, Alito should have recused himself from the cases. The second charge is that Alito did not recuse himself from a case involving Paul Singer, who had taken Alito on a fishing trip that Alito did not disclose on ethics documents.

The Thomas Charges: Thomas faces a charge of failing to disclose "financial income, gifts and reimbursements, property interests, liabilities, and transactions," on ethics documents in regard to gifts from GOP-donor Harlan Crow. Thomas also failed to recuse himself from cases concerning his spouse's legal and financial interests, according to the impeachment documents. Thomas's wife was involved in President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 election results in Arizona, including sending text messages to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about the matter.

How the Media Covered It: Across the spectrum, outlets highlighted AOC's comments. Some in the center and on the right emphasized that the resolutions were unlikely to have any effect in a Republican-controlled House. Updated 07/12/2024 at 10:18am ET to properly label Ocasio-Cortez as a Democrat.