The road to theocracy
When justices and presidents promote one religion


What a coincidence. The same "Appeal to Heaven" flag that has flown outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's New Jersey shore home, Rolling Stone reported last week, also proudly flutters outside the Maine mansion of his close friend, Federal Society co-founder Leonard Leo. The most powerful American most Americans have never heard of, Leo is the primary architect of the court's 6-3 conservative majority. He gave Donald Trump the Federalist Society-vetted names of Neil Gor such, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, and fought to get Alito, John Roberts, and Clarence Thomas confirmed. It's no exaggeration to call Leo, an ultra-conservative Catholic, a theocrat. His mission, he says, is to defeat the "unchurched" and "vile and immoral current-day barbarians, secularists, and bigots" whom "the devil" is using to move society away from its "natural order." In recent years, Leo has joined evangelical Christian Trump supporters in embracing the 18th-century "Appeal to Heaven" flag as a defiant symbol of their belief that America must be freed from the tyranny of secular progressives.
Alito is again claiming his wife is "solely responsible" for flying the flag, but its message matches his stated views and rulings. Alito has said that "religious liberty is worth special protection," and that a "new moral code" — requiring tolerance for LGBTQ rights, gay marriage, and reproductive freedom — poses a threat to the "core beliefs" of Catholics like him. It was Alito, of course, who wrote the majority decision to overturn Roe — a fulfillment of Leo's four-decades-long campaign. Two-thirds of Americans disagreed with that ruling, but Alito and Leo answer to a higher authority than mere democracy. In a second term, Trump has promised to give far-right Christian nationalists even greater power. "We have to bring back our religion," Trump recently told them. "We have to bring back Christianity." Sounds like an appeal to heaven.
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
Fly like you know what you're doing with these 5 tips for healthy air travel
The Week Recommends Yes to stretching. Even more yesses to hydration.
-
September 9 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein, Russia's answer to peace talks, and tougher citizenship questions
-
Murdoch's conservative son wins succession battle
Speed Read Lachlan Murdoch will get control over the media empire that includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal following his father's death, while his siblings will receive payouts
-
Why are federal judges criticizing SCOTUS?
Today's Big Question Supreme Court issues Trump case rulings 'with little explanation'
-
The Secret Service is reportedly facing a massive sniper shortage
The Explainer The agency is reportedly dealing with a 73% shortage
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?
Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Trump soaks up adoration in his made-for-TV Cabinet meetings
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's televised sessions have become a platform for his top lieutenants to demonstrate executive flattery
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
-
The push for a progressive mayor has arrived in Seattle
The Explainer Two liberals will face off in this November's election
-
JD Vance rises as MAGA heir apparent
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The vice president is taking an increasingly proactive role in a MAGA movement roiled by scandal and anxious about a post-Trump future