Growing outrage over Supreme CourtJustice Samuel alito and the Upside Down Flag seen outside his home, a symbol used by some Election Deniers. Why it is raising more questions about the high courts credibility. Whisman jamie raskin, Ranking Member of the House Oversight committee, is here to talk about that. And game. Donald trumps first criminal trial could wrap up next week. Harry lippmann and Adam Klasfeld have been inside the courtroom to denote what is to come, including whether trump will actually take the stand. And republicans gone wild. From flock and trumps trial to Hurling Insults and Committee Meetings, Congressional Tales which is a whole new level as congresswoman Marjorie Taylor greene triggers this epic clap back of congresswoman jasmine crockett. Someone on this committee and starts talking about somebodys Bleach Blonde bad build but body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct . A what now . Im jonathan capehart. This is a Bleach Blonde bad old butch body edition of The Saturday Show. In the coming weeks, the Supreme Court will hand down rulings in two pivotal cases related to the violent january 6th insurrection, including whether donald trump has sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution. Decisions that will have enormous implications for american democracy. A new revelation is reigniting grave concerns, if not fear, about the impartiality of the high courts conservative supermajority. On thursday, the New York Times reported that neighbors of Justice Samuel alito snap photos of an upside down American Flag flying outside of the jurists home in virginia. The pictures were taken on january 17th, 20 what 21, days before President Bidens duration and days after rioters stormed the capitol. Since the nations founding, and inverted flight has been widely recognized as a sign of distress. It has also been used as a symbol of protest by the right and the left. After the 2020 election, some Trump Supporters coopted Upside Down Flags in support of the Stop The Steal movement. There are images of rioters at the Capitol Holding them. So, it is no wonder, according to the times, some of Justice Samuel alitos neighbors believe the flag was a political statement. They say his wife had been in a dispute with another family on their block over their anti trump sign that included an expletive. In response, Justice Samuel alito told the New York Times, i had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag. It was briefly placed by my wife in response to any produce of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. Neighbor say the flag was up for several days. Even if we take samuel alito at his word, it doesnt alleviate concerns of political bias on the court. As the times points out, well the flag was up, the court was still contending with whether to hear a 2020 election case, with samuel alito on the losing end of that decision. We see samuel alito wanted to take up that case involving mailin ballots in pennsylvania. Now, Senate Majority whip and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries are calling on samuel alito to recuse himself from all cases related to the 2020 election, including trumps president ial immunity case. If this call for recusal sounds familiar, it is because we have heard it before. Justice Clarence Thomas is also facing calls to recuse himself from cases involving trump and the 2020 election after it was revealed that his wife, conservative activist ginni thomas, was at the Stop The StealRally On January 6th and pressured republican lawmakers to overturn President Bidens victory. The fact is, theres no way to force either justice to recuse himself or to hold either one accountable. Critics argue that has to change, especially since public trust in the high court is the lowest it has been in more than three decades. Is my next just points out, on and off the bench are our Supreme Court is waist deep in maga. Joining me now democratic congressman jamie raskin of maryland, Ranking Member of the House Oversight committee, former Lead House Impeachment Manager in Donald Trumps second Impeachment Trial and author of unthinkable, trauma, truth, and the trials of american democracy. Whisman, thank you for coming to The Saturday Show. Your reaction to this story and Samuel Alitos response. Well, Justice Samuel alitos response makes it clear he understands it was a political symbol to turn the American Flag upside down. It is a universal symbol of political distress and, in this case, of specific opposition to the inauguration of joe biden. It is what the maga right was calling for at that point. If it were not a very clear political symbol whose meaning is well understood, Justice Samuel alito would not have gone to great Playing Pains to blame everything on his wife. In any event, the u. S. Supreme court is the only court in the federal judiciary, indeed the only court in the land that does not have a Binding Ethics Code where you could actually go and complain to some tribunal about what is happening. What we need is to have, at the very least, an ethics panel of Federal Circuit judges from around the country who we can bring complaints to of bias in the event, in the very likely event that Justice Samuel alito does not decide to heed the cost to recuse himself from this case. It is a very clear conflict of interest. What you are talking about, is about a provision or provisions in the Judicial Ethics Enforcement Act of 2020 for you and your democratic colleagues introduced in committee . Im just wondering how would that act hold the justices accountable . Has the bill even had a Committee Hearing yet . No. Under the republicans, there have been no hearings on any of the Ethics Reform legislation pertaining to the Supreme Court. Yes, that is a provision and it is one of the very strong ideas we have. Another possibility is to create an Inspector General for the u. S. Supreme court to be reviewing all of them very inadequate financial disclosures, the travel, the junkets, the gifts. If you are in the u. S. House of representatives or you are in the u. S. Senate, members dont even go to starbucks and accept free coffee from a lobbyist. If you are on the Supreme Court, there are members taking automobiles, stagecoaches, private School Tuition for Family Members they are helping to pay for Family Members property. It is like the Billionaire Sugar Daddies who are in that Federalist Society ecosystem are able to fasten on to particular justices and the ethical temperature there has just plummeted. So, you know, as the Supreme Court jurisprudence drives to the right, the specific members get more and more lax, both about their own political commitments but also their own financial entanglements with the billionaire class. So then i would take it that the answer to my question, should samuel alito, for that matter, Justice Thomas, should they recuse themselves from 2020 election related cases, your answer would be yes . Of course they should. But, you know, as we were just saying, the House Of Representatives is not doing anything to try to improve the situation. They are protecting the chaos and the ethical collapse of the Supreme Court. We are going to have to try to deal with this through elections and the assertion of popular power because we have a completely corrupt governing class going right up to the Supreme Court. Okay, congress men jamie raskin, we have to talk about the chaos that erupted on thursday that you were in the middle of, as we saw in the opening at the House Oversight and accountability, the markup on the resolution to hold attorney general Merrick Garland in contempt. Lets watch another piece of it. Watch this. Do you know what we are here for, you know why we are here . Out of order. Us1 talking about. I think your fake eyelashes are missing up. Order. Must determine. That is beneath even you. That is beneath even you. I have a Point Of Order and i would like to move to take down Marjorie Taylor greenes words. That is absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person. Are your feelings hurt . Move her words down. Girl, baby girl. Really . Dont even play. Okay. For folks who dont know, when you hear a woman of color proceed anything with baby girl, you better run. Congressman jamie raskin, you said in that clip that is beneath even you, ms. Green. How shocked were you by this behavior . Look at the thing about discussion in a parliamentary body, which is by definition filled with a lot of emotion and passion, is you can talk about substance, you could talk about process, you can invoke science, you can invoke culture, you can invoke literature. The one thing that you cannot do is to engage in ad hominem, personal attacks. You cannot insult someones looks in the United StatesHouse Of Representatives. So, the democrats moved, the vice Ranking Member of the committee moved to have her words taken down. And mother chair of the committee did not have the moral authority or the leadership within his own ranks to be able to do it because they are all afraid of Marjorie Taylor greene. She basically is constantly threatening that shes going to turn her millions of twitter followers on anybody who gets in her way. They refuse to take her words down and to keep her from speaking for the rest of the hearing. I told the chairman if you allow it to go down the road of personal insults and ad hominem attacks, and ive never seen a chair allow that to happen, there will be no end to it, we will dissolve into chaos. Of course, we did. Congressman, one last question, that Committee Meeting was actually postponed from 10 00 a. M. To 8 00 p. M. So that Republican Committee members could attend Donald Trumps new york trial. How do you feel about that . Terrible. It was supposed to be set for 11 00 a. M. They changed it in the middle of the night so everybodys schedules were thrown into chaos. But, they skipped out on their actual legislative duties. They missed, a number of them missed votes on the floor of the House Of Representatives and they came back and it was just a Frat House Atmosphere and all they really wanted to do was to provoke and taunt our members and Marjorie Taylor greene obviously was the lead in doing that and one member there, to their site, to her credit voted with us not to allow Marjorie Taylor greene to persist in her antics and her provocations. So, good for lauren boebert. Marjorie Taylor Greene now is like donald trump cannot she is lawless, she is incorrigible, she is provocative. All she wants is in the limelight. They refuse to deal with that problem. They will not curb her in any way. Congressman jamie raskin, Ranking Member of the House Oversight committee, thank you very much for coming to The Saturday Show. Thank you, jonathan, great to be here. Coming up, ethical concerns about the Supreme Court dont stop with justices samuel alito and Clarence Thomas. How the courts conservative supermajority is using a legal doctrine to twist the constitution and unravel american progress. Legal and political analyst Dahlia Lithwick is here to discuss her latest article. You are watching The Saturday Show on msnbc. Ness. Search talent All Over The World with over 10,000 skills you may not have in house. More than 30 of the fortune 500 use upwork because this is how we work now. 9 out of 10 people dont get enough fiber benefiber is the easy, gentle solution for every day. Its plantbased prebiotic fiber nourishes good bacteria in your gut working with your body to promote digestive health. With so many ways to enjoy, benefiber is your fiber, your way. This charmin ultra soft smooth tear is soooo soft and soo smooth. Charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations that tear so much better for a smooth more enjoyable go. Charmin, enjoy the go. Its never a good time for migraine, especially when im on camera. Thats why my goto is nurtec odt. 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Call today shell renewable race fuel. Reducing emissions by 60 . Were moving forward with indycar. Because were moving forward with everybody. Shell. Powering progress. The Upside Down Flag, a symbol used by some Trump SupportersElection Deniers that the New York Times reports flew outside the home of Justice Samuel alito isnt the only controversy testing the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. My next guest rates america is being held captive by a small, stupid, perpetually changing theory of legal interpretation variously known as a regionalism. It is a legal doctrine that aims to interpret constitutional texts east on their understanding at the time of ratification in 1788. Just to review, back then, enslavement was legal, women had almost no legal standing, and only white landowning men were allowed to vote. Forget about samesex marriage. Currently, originalism is being used by the courts conservative majority to favor laws that push an unpopular far right agenda on a host of issues, including guns, abortion, and our elections. As Dahlia Lithwick points out, originalism is the invisible force that allows a handful of unaccountable jurists to unravel both progress and understan