Sam Alito Got Knighted… Just Like The Founding Fathers EXPLICITLY MADE UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Sam Alito Got Knighted… Just Like The Founding Fathers EXPLICITLY MADE UNCONSTITUTIONAL
It turns out Sam Alito hates the Constitution as much as you thought he did.
Summary
Justice Samuel Alito, a self-described Originalist, has been criticized for allegedly disregarding the Constitution’s text when it conflicts with his personal views.
Recently, it emerged that Alito accepted a knighthood from a European order, despite the Constitution’s ban on foreign titles for U.S. officials.
This title, from the House of Bourbon–Two Sicilies, raises questions about Alito’s commitment to American democratic ideals, which the Framers aimed to protect from foreign influence.
Critics argue that Alito’s actions reflect hypocrisy in his supposed adherence to Originalism and constitutional principles.
The key point here, not to get distracted, taking the title is trivial in the modern age. The title has little meaning to someone of today. The hitch is that Altito is a profound originalist. When he interprets the constitution he claims the text should be interpreted exactly as the founders explicited intented. All together, taking the title against the prohibition of the constitution acknowledges what his real intentions are. By claiming to know the framers exact intentions, something that is clearly unknowable, he can inject his own interests as he pleases.
No, it is not trivial, it is a fundamental rejection of (small r) republicanism in the pursuit of personal vainglory.
It is also an aspect of Christofascism that you would, admittedly, need quite a lot of reading on development of the medieval concept of knighthood to pick up on even if modern elements are recognizable but the tl;Dr of it all is that knights as a separate and popular European political class are fundamentally linked to the "Crusader" archetype as an innately Christian warrior who does violence for the faith.
Whether Alito is aware of that specifically or not, and I wouldn't put much money on it as most people are rather surprised to find out even the earliest conceptualization of knight is actually more of a 10th century/Crusade thing than a Dark Age concept, I would certainly argue that that innately Christian aspect is at least subconsciously understood by Western society in general and I can say with certainty that 20th century fascist messaging was aware of it specifically and used it quite a lot.
The specific group that knighted him, the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, is explicitly along Crusader lines.
https://realcasadiborbone.it/en/constantinian-order/
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is an ancient and internationally recognised Order of Knighthood which, from its remotest origins, has resolved to work for the glorification of the Cross, the propagation of the Faith, and the defence of the Holy Roman Church, to which it is strictly bound through special merits acquired in the East, and for which manifold evidences of gratitude and benevolence have been expressed by successive Supreme Pontiffs of the Roman Catholic Church.
Alito knows.
This seems like bad behavior to me, doing something explicitly forbidden by the Constitution. Given that the Constitution says a justice shall "hold their office during good Behavior", he should be terminated from his position of power.
The key point here is that it is grounds for impeachment by.
Or even just starting the proceedings. Their counter argument would have to be so detached from reality and would undermine the decades they've been forcing originalism down our throats.
If you choose to look, Ted Kennedy received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth 2 whilst a sitting senator. And no one batted an eye. In fact he was widely praised for being knighted when it happened.
There are lots of meaningless honorary titles floating about if you care to actually look. And yes those types of titles, like "knighthood", are meaningless these days and have been for a number of centuries.
Did you read what I wrote?
This is not an honorary title. This is membership in the order, with duties and benefits. They gave him the highest rank you can get without noble blood. This is exactly what the Constitution bans.
Maybe it’s time to ratify that “Titles of Nobility” constitutional amendment?
This has the added benefit of stripping Meghan Markle of her citizenship as well.
I really have no opinion of Meghan Markle but thought this was funny. It's insane that it'd be easier to ratify an amendment from 1810 which would impact a good handful of people to target Alito, than implement robust Supreme Court ethics reforms.
The Australian woman who married into the Danish royal family had to renounce her Australian citizenship, so that would be fair enough.
The fact that the war of 1812 didn’t spur overwhelming support for this amendment is kinda funny, tbh
No, a citizen can accept a title. But they cannot hold a title and an office. However Prince Harry would have to give up his title to become an American citizen.
Also the OG document bans exactly what Alito did.
Doesn't matter here. The Constitution (Article I, Section 9, Clause 8) bans public officials from receiving titles of nobility. Alito already falls under this. The writers of the Constitution thought this one was so important that it's not even an amendment. It's in the OG document.
W.T.F.
The US needs to clean house, expand the SCOTUS to put these corrupt judges firmly in the minority so they're ineffective for the rest of their miserable life-long-unelected-terms, if it can't outright impeach them!
Why did Joe Biden do nothing to rebalance the Supreme Court in all his 4 years of being President?
Because the Democratic Party puts a lot of value on norms and mores. Blowing up the Supreme Court (and then having to deal with whatever reaction that the GOP has when they get power again, which I'm sure would be totally rational and proportionate), is just too much of a massive change in the status quo for Biden.
I think there are pros and cons to these ideas for expanding the court, etc. But I think it is important for people to realize that it's not just as simple as flipping a switch or something. The implications and consequences would be massive, and impossible to predict completely.
Because he's a typical Clintonite conservative Democrat. 9/10 times he's on the side of defending the political institutions and, at most, patch them up here or there.
He was never going to be a great reformer. Just like he remains a staunch Zionist in spite of 75 years of apartheid rule and other crimes against humanity, he remains firmly convinced that the American political system is fundamentally just and that changing it would be worse than the inequities that come from NOT doing so.
No idea! I have wondered that myself. In fact why doesn't he do it now, he's the ultimate lame duck prez, there'd be no consequences for him so he absolutely should a few days after the election -- if he truly could (I don't know enough about the details about how he could so do).
If your question is not just rhetorical, I totally agree, 100%.
In fact I wish he'd declare he's dissolving SCOTUS completely, plus a few levels of courts below and appointing non-partisan judges across the board to clean house and reset the decades of theocratic-proto-fascists that appear to have infiltrated the system at all levels. He could, after all, do anything right? The SCOTUS ruled this summer that Presidents have 'absolute immunity', so why not? It would be the ultimate F*ck You to their corruption and would be a historically beautiful way to bow out.
that's fine, if he wants to be a knight he totally can. And it seems like he's made his choice so let him be.
Harris will be happy to appoint his replacement.
Both Reagan and Bush Sr. got knighted.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Those were honorary knighthoods that generally mean nothing. OPs article claims that Alito pledged "an oath to the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George." That is an entirely different thing if true. As the saying goes, a man cannot serve two masters. If he has pledged an oath to this order and the Constitution of the United States of America, which takes precedence in his mind?
I'd certainly never accuse Reagan and a Bush of being Christo-fascist neocrusaders who innately hold anti-republican and anti-democratic ideals.
Who the FUCK cares about the Constitution when it's used to do ANYTHING besides Defend a Gunman who Murdered a CLASSROOM FULL OF CHILDREN! I'm Pro Life btw :)
Recently, it emerged that Alito accepted a knighthood from a European order, despite the Constitution’s ban on foreign titles for U.S. officials.
Oh no, my sealand and Scottish titles!
Oh look a corrupt Republican appointment to the scotus. If only we had some method of preventing Republican presidents from making nominations to the supreme court...
If we are talking emoluments,I am less offended by Alito taking a title than Trump spending over $135M of taxpayer dollars on various trips to Trump hotels. Nothing ever came of that, so I bet we know what will happen here.
Trump spending over $135M of taxpayer dollars on various trips to Trump hotels
He really took moves from United Russia playbook, didn't he?
can he be kicked out for it though?
seems like the president has so much immunity for official actions that Alito accepting his knighthood should be an automatic empty slot on the court, Harris should appoint his replacement immediately so Alito can concentrate on his royal duties.
And when she does, she should point out the law, and Alito's dedication to originalist interpretation of said document.
Alito has a chance here to prove originalisim is an actual, good faith interpretation of the Constitution, and not just rhetoric pulled out to get what you want. All he has to do is step down.
Rules for thee and not for meeeee, wheeeee
This title, from the House of Bourbon–Two Sicilies
Didn't that family go extinct some time after the Italian unification?
Not quite but they did sober up and stopped seeing double.
I feel like I've just started listening after zoning out while someone is trying to explain a new TTRPG.
For a bit of context: the house of Bourbon - Two sicilies has no land for 150 years. They used to rule the south of Italy but after the Italian “unification” (or conquest) they got kicked out and have no real power.
While this may still be a conflict of interest since I am pretty sure they are still filthy rich and they may have economic interests in the US. But there is no foreign power interference here since there is no foreign power 🙂
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
By the strict wording it's a violation because they absolutely style themselves as princes to a throne in exile.
Interesting issue. Does their belief in their right to power control? There's that crazy lady in Canada who calls herself the queen of Canada and issues edicts and whatever every now and then (somehow connected to qanon, I don't remember the details). Could a US official accept a "title" bestowed by her, since she claims nobility and authority?
My recollection on the emoluments issue was SCOTUS punted in the same way they did with respect to Trump's ability to run for office after the insurrection - Congress must declare the violation, and the remedy is presumably impeachment. So the practical effect is zero, since Congress would never take this up, let alone impeach and remove. I'd love if Dems did though, it would be fun seeing Republicans defend their justice receiving nighthood from some weird ass secret society thing.
Do they need to be recognized by the US as a foreign prince for it to count?
If not, could Will Smith "The Fresh Prince" grant a disqualifying title?
Sure but it's the idea that counts.
Holy shit, Alexander Hamilton called it "Royal Prostitution". Sam Alito is a fuckin' Hooker, y'all.
Any other CK3 players eyebrows up in this thread?
Looks like I'm gonna have to start pumping out kids to secure those alliances.
Took me a moment to understand how funny this is, given the context, and not just a passing comment on "stuff you do in game" 😁
Context?
The game is not about the nation state like most games, but the player and their dynasty/lineage per se. So it's all about individuals' titles, rules of who is applicable in succession, etc
To be fair, I could have made the same joke about anyone interested in noble house history, heraldry, knights being rad, etc
without Consent of the Congress. theres his out.
No, that's actually extremely funny. Make them vote on whether or not he's french nobility. I need more Looney Toons C-SPAN coverage.
The $upreme Court is a complete joke and they did it to themselves
And we did it to ourselves.
I’ll wait for his interpretation of the wording to know whether or not it’s unconstitutional
Boot his worthless MAGAT ass out of the Supreme Court and he can take his shitty Appeal to Heaven flag with him.
That's one of the funnier parts of the article:
Alito’s “An Appeal to Heaven” flag is a reference to John Locke’s argument in favor of a right to rise up against monarchists. Alito himself accepted a knighthood from an order managed by the House of Bourbon–Two Sicilies. The grand prefect of the order’s son is a pretender to the Imperial Throne of France.
Guys, I’m starting to think Alito doesn’t even understand the history he haphazardly quotes.
Is Trollito in any secret societies like Opus Dei?
Knights of Malta are having a rebirth and have been active with his sort.
(Edit: well, waddaya know: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/justice-alitos-royalist-cosplay.html
Conservative lobbyist and court-packer Leonard Leo belongs to the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights of Malta, a Catholic lay order that dates to the Crusades. The Opus Dei organization, best known for its super-kinky corporal-mortification rules, sent a priest wearing a spiked garter under his cassock to convert a swath of Republicans in Washington — a project that has proved quite successful.)
He does fly this flag at his home, though
It's not because of it's original use.
It's because he's a major player/member in the NAR (the new apostolic reformation) which is an accelerationist movement with the explicit intent to bring about Armageddon so Jesus can return.
I shit you not.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/appeal-to-heaven-flag-nar-alito
Lol what a shit flag. It looks like fucking clip art. Some of the most boomer-coded shit I have ever seen in my life.
I don't think the U.S. Constitution bans anyone from getting a title from some random French family, only from a "King, Prince, or foreign State".
Is this article intentionally misrepresenting? There's plenty of scummy things he's done without having to invent weird distractions.
It does ban public officials from receiving titles of nobility, so yes, it applies to Alito. There is an old amendment to strip the citizenship from any American who receives one, but it hasn't been ratified by the states. Has an odd history to it.
Exactly how does it apply? It didn't come from a "King, Prince, or foreign State". I could declare that I grant you a title, but because it isn't coming from a monarch it's meaningless and that article doesn't apply.
Oh that's fine, like if Trump had knighted him that'd be one thing, accepting Knighthood from Europe.. totally different
Doesn't work either way.
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
I thought the 13th amendment of 1812 didn't pass?
Seriously, they are just, literally, mentally ill people. It's not more complex than that - look at his face. They have chemical imbalances that could be quickly and effectively addressed with commonly available medication (as millions of Americans take willingly each day). They've just made a religion out of refusing that treatment and living in their delusions. reagan emptied the mental hospitals and shut them down, the patients ran right into the gop's tent and haven't left since.
Antisocial personality disorders are notoriously hard to treat, and medications aren't the first line of treatment
You're focusing on semantics, replace "medicated" with "treated by a professional" here if it helps you get the larger point?
I didn't say APDs directly, while that would be low hanging fruit here, I wouldn't be surprised if Alito and some of these people turned out to be borderline paranoid schizophrenics - They are taking "oaths" from "magical royal orders" and flying upside down flags with trees on them to signal pending widespread violence to their imagined allies, where Christians will literally eviscerate their perceived enemies with swords. All the while they are stock piling wrappings and terrified of a looming foreign threat that they are convinced will eat their house pets. All along the way, they all furiously reference (while rarely reading) an old book, written in a dead language, about magical talking bushes and men who can control the sea water with their minds and come back from the dead after having walked on water and spontaneously generated fish and wine.
