In a shocking revelation, The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's wife, Martha-Ann Alito, referred to the inverted American flag flown at their house in January 2021 as "an international signal of distress." The encounter between the Alitos and a Post reporter outside their home shed light on a series of flag-related incidents that have embroiled the conservative justice in controversy.

According to The Post's account, when the reporter, Robert Barnes, arrived at Justice Alito's house in Alexandria, Virginia on President Joe Biden's inauguration day, the flag was no longer displayed. However, Martha-Ann Alito, upon seeing Barnes, demanded that he "get off my property," while vehemently denying any political protest association with the flag. She claimed that it was instead a manifestation of a neighborhood dispute.

During the encounter, Martha-Ann Alito pointed at the neighbors and yelled, "Ask them what they did!" seemingly referring to the ongoing spat with their neighbors. In a dramatic gesture, she then retrieved a novelty flag from their home and placed it on the flagpole, exclaiming, "There! Is that better?" This incident wasn't reported earlier by The Post due to its apparent connection to Martha-Ann Alito rather than the justice and the unclear political motivations behind it.

The controversy surrounding Justice Alito's flag displays doesn't end there. Last week, The New York Times published a photograph of an inverted American flag raised at the Alitos' Virginia home in 2021. Justice Alito explained that his wife had raised the flag in response to a neighbor who had posted offensive signages targeting Martha-Ann Alito.

Furthermore, The Times reported earlier this week that a flag associated with the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol was seen flying outside the Alitos' vacation home in New Jersey last summer. The flag, known as the "Appeal to Heaven" flag, dates back to the Revolutionary War and has gained significance among Trump supporters.

These revelations have sparked criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Key GOP senators and Democrats are calling for Justice Alito to recuse himself from cases involving Trump and the Capitol attack. Senate Republican Whip John Thune voices his concern, referring to the flag display as a "bad decision." Calls to enact ethics rules for the Supreme Court have been reignited on the left, with Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin raising concerns about the propriety of a Supreme Court justice flying such flags.

While some Republican lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz, have come to Alito's defense, stating that the controversy is exaggerated and an attempt by Senate Democrats to delegitimize the court, the wave of criticism persists.

As the flags associated with political events continue to overshadow Justice Alito's reputation, the debate surrounding his involvement in politically charged cases and the need for ethics rules within the Supreme Court gains momentum. Only time will tell how this controversy will impact the revered justice's tenure on the bench.