For a second time this month, The New York Times is attacking Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for a flag flown outside of one of his private residences.
In an article published Wednesday, the Times attacked Alito over the “Appeal to Heaven” flag displayed at his home, claiming the flag is a “provocative symbol” because some protesters at the Jan. 6, 2021, riot carried the same flag.
Reporters from the Times traveled to Alito’s New Jersey beach home to view the flag, which they said was not present when they arrived this week. They said the flag was raised in the summer of 2023, citing photos and interviews with neighbors, as well as a Google Street View photo from August 2023. Yet are they only now reporting on the flag’s existence, nearly a year later.
The Times conceded that the flag has roots in the Revolutionary War, yet ferociously concluded that the flag is controversial and represents loyalty to former President Trump and “a push to remake American government in Christian terms.”
In reality, the “Appeal to Heaven” flag (or “Pine Tree” flag, as it is sometimes called) is far from a symbol of clandestine radicalism. The white flag with a large green pine tree placed in the center was originally designed by George Washington’s secretary and flown by six ships Washington commissioned during the American Revolution. Besides the flag’s connection to the American Revolution, the phrase “appeal to heaven” finds its origin in the writings of 17th-century political
