Judge’s Criticism of Supreme Court Justice Alito Violated Ethics Rules, Court Finds

Judge Michael Ponsor said in a newspaper column that Justice Samuel Alito should have known that flying certain flags would be politically provocative.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito poses in Washington on April 23, 2021. Erin Schaff/Reuters

A federal judge was determined to have violated judicial ethics rules by criticizing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in an op-ed, according to an order made public on Dec. 17.

The judge’s criticism of Alito pertained to the flying of flags outside properties owned by Alito in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.