Novelist John Grisham joined ABC’s “The View” this week to promote his work, but ended up joining the ladies in blasting the Supreme Court.
He opined on the justices while Democratic lawmakers have called for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. to recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot after reports from The New York Times surfaced that the justice flew flags at his home which had a connection to Jan. 6 rioters.
”The court has never looked this bad,” Mr. Grisham said.
“In my lifetime, some of the rulings, the ethical challenges, it went downhill in 2000 when five Republicans on the court chose to elect a president, it was political, Bush vs. Gore, that’s when it all started really going downhill,” he said.
Mr. Grisham, a Democratic former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, is known for writing thrillers centering on court trials and other legal processes.
He wrote a 1992 novel about two Supreme Court justices being assassinated, and joked during his appearance on “The View” on Wednesday about doing a sequel.
His comments come at a time when Justice Alito, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Senate Democrats are at odds.
Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, requested Justice Alito recuse himself from cases related to the Capitol riot over the flag flap.
Justice Alito flew an upside-down American flag outside his Alexandria, Virginia, home days after the violent protest and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag outside his New Jersey residence in 2023. Critics say Jan. 6 rioters carried the same flag.
Justice Alito said the flying of the flags was his wife’s decisions and that he’s not biased in any dispute.
Democratic lawmakers have called the flags a public display of political activity, which would run afoul of judicial ethics. One House Democrat introduced a censure resolution that demands that the justice recuse himself from any case related to the 2020 election.
The calls for recusal come as the high court is weighing two major disputes this term over whether Mr. Trump is immune from charges stemming from his contest of the 2020 election results and another dispute over an obstruction charge facing hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants, including Mr. Trump.
Those opinions are expected to come by the end of June.
Mr. Durbin also called for a meeting with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to discuss ethics concerns but on Thursday, the chief justice declined the meeting, saying it would be improper to meet with lawmakers from one political party.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.