Democracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion What the flag your Supreme Court justice is flying means

Including the Jolly Roger, the rainbow flag and all orientations of the Stars and Stripes.

By
Columnist|
May 23, 2024 at 1:51 p.m. EDT
Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, pay their respects at the casket of the Rev. Billy Graham at the U.S. Capitol in 2018. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)
3 min

There has been a lot of concern lately among us flag folk about the fact that Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has been flying various standards.

“He is putting the vex in vexillology,” we have said to one another. “But not the lol.” (We vexillologists have few pleasures in life and making such simple jokes is one of them.)