Emily Baden disputes Martha-Anne's account of events and suggests incorrect timeline
Martha-Ann Alito flew an upside-down American flag at their home following the confrontation
Photograph of inverted American flag was taken on January 17, 2021, weeks before Martha-Ann claimed it was raised in response to a verbal exchange
Police were called to the Alito residence on February 15, 2021, regarding an incident with Emily Baden's then-boyfriend
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, were involved in a neighborhood dispute with neighbor Emily Baden
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, found themselves at the center of a neighborhood dispute that led to the hoisting of an upside-down American flag on their property in Fairfax County, Virginia. The incident has raised questions about the timeline of events and the accuracy of statements made by both parties involved.
According to reports from various sources, including CNN and The Washington Post, Martha-Ann Alito flew an upside-down American flag at their home following a confrontation with her neighbor, Emily Baden. However, conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the cause of the dispute and when it occurred.
Emily Baden has disputed Samuel Alito's account of events, stating that his timeline is incorrect and suggesting that he may be mistaken or even lying. According to her interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, a photograph of the inverted American flag was taken on January 17, 2021, weeks before Martha-Ann Alito claimed it was raised in response to a verbal exchange.
Furthermore, records obtained by CNN show that Baden's then-boyfriend called police on February 15, 2021, to complain about Martha-Ann Alito and accused her of
The neighbor of Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, called out Alito’s account of a dispute regarding an upside-down American flag as inaccurate in her first television interview on CNN.
A photograph of the flag was taken on January 17, but the confrontation between Martha-Ann and the neighbor occurred on February 15.
Martha-Ann did not put up the flag in response to a verbal exchange with the neighbor as Alito claimed. Instead, she called the police due to harassment from the neighbor and her boyfriend.
The neighbor erected an anti-Trump sign in glitter, cursive letters after the 2020 election.
Martha-Ann approached the neighbor and her boyfriend during a confrontation and used their full names, which Baden felt was a threat.
Accuracy
The confrontation between Martha-Ann and the neighbor occurred on February 15.
The New York Times published a photo of the inverted American flag flying weeks earlier than previously reported, on January 17, 2021.
Baden described the exchange with the Alitos in detail, stating that Samuel Alito ‘didn’t do anything’ and simply walked away.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(95%)
The author, William Vaillancourt, presents the account of a neighbor disputing Justice Samuel Alito's version of events regarding an upside-down American flag. The author does not express any bias towards Alito or his wife but simply reports the facts as they were presented by the neighbor. However, there is a clear implication that Alito may have lied about the reason for flying the flag upside-down. This implication, while not an outright expression of bias, could potentially sway readers' opinions against Alito.
Baden knew the Alitos lived in the neighborhood, she said, and 'it didn’t take me long though to put two and two together,' to figure out exactly where.
]The confrontation occurred when Baden was living with her mother after the 2020 election and decided to erect a yard sign which, she explained, 'was an anti-Trump sign' in 'glitter, cursive letters.'[
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's former neighbor, Emily Baden, disputes Alito's account of a neighborhood spat that led to the hoisting of an upside-down US flag on his property in Virginia.
Baden claims that Alito's timeline of the events is incorrect and suggests he may be mistaken or even lying.
The New York Times published a photo of the inverted American flag flying weeks earlier than previously reported, on January 17, 2021.
Records obtained by CNN show that Baden’s then-boyfriend called police on February 15, 2021, to complain about Martha-Ann Alito and accused her of ‘unprompted harassment.’
Baden described the exchange with the Alitos in detail, stating that Samuel Alito ‘didn’t do anything’ and simply walked away.
The incident has drawn criticism from Democratic and some Republican lawmakers, with several Democrats calling on Alito to recuse from cases involving the Capitol attack.
Accuracy
The upside-down US flag incident occurred in early 2021.
Alito's timeline of the events is incorrect and suggests he may be mistaken or even lying.
Martha-Ann Alito didn’t put up the flag in response to a verbal exchange with the neighbor as Alito claimed. Instead, she called the police due to harassment from the neighbor and her boyfriend.
Deception
(30%)
The author reports on a neighbor's dispute with Justice Alito over flag incidents. The author quotes the neighbor, Emily Baden, stating that Alito's account of the timeline of events is incorrect. This is an example of selective reporting as the author only reports details that support Baden's position and ignores Alito's side of the story. Additionally, there are emotional manipulation and sensationalism in the title 'At worst he’s outright lying: Alito ex-neighbor at center of flag dispute speaks out'.
The incidents have drawn mounting criticism from Democratic and some Republican lawmakers.
Several Democrats have called on Alito to recuse from cases involving the attack on the Capitol.
Fallacies
(80%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by quoting Emily Baden's statements about Alito's account being incorrect. However, the author does not provide any evidence that Baden's account is definitively correct or that Alito is lying.
“At worst he's outright lying”: Emily Baden to CNN
“At best, he’s mistaken, but at worst, he’s just outright lying.”
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s wife had a goofy flag hobby that is 99% harmless.
Accuracy
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s wife had a goofy flag hobby that is 99% harmless.
,
The ‘stop the steal’ people adopted an upside-down American flag and the ‘Appeal to Heaven’ pine tree flag as their symbols.
There is a debate on whether Justices Alito and Thomas should recuse themselves from pending Jan. 6 cases due to their wives’ overt displays of support for conservative causes.
Judge Juan Merchan, a New York judge, was involved in a recent trial of former President Trump. His daughter was a Democratic political consultant.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author is making two main arguments: that Alito's explanation for his wife's flag display is reasonable and that there should not be a double standard when it comes to recusals based on spousal actions. No fallacies were found in the author's assertions, but there are several instances of inflammatory rhetoric used by the letter writers quoted in the article. These include accusations of bias, corruption, and compromise against Alito and Thomas.
][Jim Hoover]'s column reads like a footrace between Alito and Thomas for the most biased, if not the most corrupt, Supreme Court justice. Alito's MAGA bias is so obvious and so open with his Fox News appearance, they could probably smell it in Siberia. It seems that he and Thomas … are in some kind of competition to be the most compromised and integrity-deaf justice.[/
Martha-Ann Alito flew an upside-down American flag at their Fairfax County, VA home in the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol.
The dispute between Martha-Ann Alito and neighbor Emily Baden began around Christmas 2020 over an anti-Trump sign.
Martha-Alito initially claimed that students were waiting for the school bus near their home when she was upset by the sign, but Fairfax County schools were closed due to COVID-19 pandemic at that time and no students were present.
Baden said Martha-Ann Alito confronted her and her boyfriend multiple times, including spitting at their vehicle.
Alito claimed a man called his wife a vulgar epithet during an argument, but Baden said she was the one who used it.
Martha-Ann Alito raised the upside-down flag following an argument with Baden and her boyfriend.
Accuracy
Martha-Ann Alito initially claimed that students were waiting for the school bus near their home when she was upset by the sign, but Fairfax County schools were closed due to COVID-19 pandemic at that time and no students were present.
Deception
(45%)
Justice Alito has provided multiple and conflicting accounts of the flags flown outside his homes in Virginia and New Jersey. He has not fully answered key questions about these displays, such as how long the upside-down American flag flew at his Virginia home or where he got the
He has not fully answered key questions about these displays, such as how long the upside-down American flag flew at his Virginia home or where he got the
Justice Alito has provided multiple and conflicting accounts of the flags flown outside his homes in Virginia and New Jersey.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains multiple fallacies. Firstly, there is a dichotomous depiction of the situation in which Justice Alito's account is portrayed as entirely truthful while Baden and her husband are depicted as aggressors. This creates a false dichotomy between the two parties involved in the dispute. Secondly, there is an appeal to authority when Alito refers to his wife flying the upside-down flag in response to a neighborhood dispute without providing evidence to support this claim. Thirdly, inflammatory rhetoric is used when describing the flags and their significance, without providing concrete evidence for Alito's claims.
Justice Alito's account portrays Baden and her husband as aggressors in the dispute while dismissing their version of events. However, photos provided by Baden and interviews with a neighbor indicate the signs made no explicit mention of Martha-Ann Alito.
Alito refers to his wife flying the upside-down flag in response to a neighborhood dispute without providing evidence to support this claim.
The article describes the significance of the flags and their connection to political movements without providing concrete evidence for Alito's claims.
Bias
(75%)
The author, Justin Jouvenal, presents conflicting accounts of events from different sources regarding a neighborhood dispute between Martha-Ann Alito and Emily Baden. The author also raises questions about the timing and motivations behind Martha-Ann Alito flying an upside-down American flag and an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag. While no clear examples of bias are given, the article does present conflicting information that could potentially be used to question impartiality.
Alito did not issue a similar denial for the upside-down flag that flew at his Virginia home.
But Baden said that while that confrontation with the Alitos involved both her and her boyfriend, it was actually she who uttered the epithet, an account corroborated by a neighbor who heard it. Baden said she could not recall whether she and her boyfriend then followed the Alitos down the street.[
But Fairfax County schools were shuttered at the time because of the coronavirus pandemic and had been since March 2020. All but a tiny handful of students were learning virtually. Students did not return to the classroom until Feb. 16, 2021, after the flag episode occurred.[
Justice Alito told Bream a key moment in the dispute came when he and his wife were walking in the neighborhood sometime after the initial conversation. A man got into an argument with Martha-Ann Alito and called her a vulgar epithet for part of a woman’s anatomy, according to the justice. In his letters to Congress, Alito also said the man followed them down the street.[
]The dispute soon escalated.[
The most pivotal question about the upside-down American flag has yet to be fully answered: Martha-Ann Alito’s motivation for flying it. Many liberals have said the raising of the flag in the weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol suggests sympathy for the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement or solidarity with pro-Trump rioters who believed in stolen election results and had adopted it as a symbol at that time.[
