#SCOTUS Justice Samuel Alito dismisses as a "conspiracy theory" Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's concern that allowing DHS to strip greencard holders of their status due to pending criminal charges (not a conviction) would lead to the gov. using charges to force self-deportations. The case, Blanche v. Lau (No. 25-429), is a highly technical dispute over whether DHS can deem a greencard holder returning from a trip abroad an immigrant seeking admission and subject to lower evidentiary standards in deportation proceedings.

BREAKING: A 6-3 Supreme Court rules a federal bribery law doesn’t cover gratuities, or gifts given to public officials for acts they’ve already taken. Sotomayor, Kagan & Jackson dissent.
(Snyder v. U.S., No. 23-108) #SCOTUS Here's Snyder: supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf…

NEW: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito WILL NOT recuse himself from cases involving #Jan6th or Donald Trump, writing in a letter to Congress he believes a reasonable person would conclude the flag flying incidents do not meet the standards for recusal.
documentcloud.org/documents/2469…
In the letter Justice Alito provides additional details about the flag-flying incidents.
1. He wasn't aware of the upside-down flag at first but then requested it be taken down, but his wife refused for several days.
documentcloud.org/documents/2469…

DC District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan is on the bench. She was accompanied by what looks like two security guards. One is standing near the courtroom entrance judges use. "Mr. Trump, like every American, has a First Amendment right to free speech, but that right is not absolute," Judge Chutkan said before diving into the disputes among parties. First issue: the scope of the order.