Samuel Alito's wife, Martha-Ann, calls to replace the Pride flag with a 'shame' flag

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wife Martha Bomgardner view casket Reverend Billy Graham US Capitol Rotunda Washington DC February 2018

ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was secretly recorded ranting against the rainbow banner, saying she'd like to replace it with a Sacred Heart symbol or a "shame" flag.

Martha-Ann Alito is sick of seeing the LGBTQ+ Pride flag, so she's going to replace it with a "shame" flag instead.

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was secretly recorded ranting against the rainbow banner last week at a Supreme Court Historical Society reception. Documentary filmmaker Lauren Windsor attended the event, posing as a conservative Christian donor, and poised a question to Alito about how to return the country to a "godly place."

Alito went on an unprompted rant about flags, saying in the recording, “You know what I want? I want a Sacred Heart of Jesus flag, because I have to look across the lagoon at the Pride flag for the next month.”

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Alito and her husband recently sparked controversy by displaying an upside-down American flag outside of their home — a symbol of the January 6, 2020 insurrection, which was led by right-wing extremists on the false notion that President Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election was not legitimate.

The couple drew ire again when they displayed the “Appeal to Heaven” flag at their vacation home in New Jersey. The banner, which features a green pine tree and the words “An Appeal to Heaven," has roots dating back to the Revolutionary War, but has recently been used by far-right groups to promote Christian nationalism.

Alito continued her rant by revealing that her husband has been asking her not to raise political flags at their homes, which she has agreed to do only until he is "free" from his position as a judge on the nation's highest court.

“He’s like, ‘Oh, please don’t put up a flag.’ I said, ‘I won’t do it because I am deferring to you. But when you are free of this nonsense, I’m putting it up and I’m gonna send them a message every day, maybe every week, I’ll be changing the flags.’ They’ll be all kinds," Alito said. "I made a flag in my head. This is how I satisfy myself. I made a flag. It’s white and has yellow and orange flames around it. And in the middle is the word ‘vergogna.’ ‘Vergogna’ in Italian means shame — vergogna. V-E-R-G-O-G-N-A. Vergogna. Shame, shame, shame on you."

Windsor, who bought a ticket and legitimately attended the dinner, told Rolling Stone that she wanted to explore Alito's beliefs because she can provide "a window into" her husband's thinking. Of Alito, Windsor only said: “She’s very, very enthusiastic about her flag waving."