Newly published audio reveals Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito questioning whether the United States can overcome its polarized political divide — and appearing to endorse a Christian theocracy. Alito made the comments at the annual dinner of the Supreme Court Historical Society on June 3. The audio was secretly recorded by documentarian Lauren Windsor, who posed as a conservative activist. In the recording, Justice Alito agrees when Windsor says she hopes to “return our country to a place of godliness.” Alito also appears to rule out compromise between polarized political factions.

Justice Samuel Alito: “One side or the other is going to win. I don’t know. I mean, there can be a way of living together peacefully, but it’s difficult, you know, because there are differences on fundamental things that really can’t be compromised. They really can’t be compromised. So, it’s not like you’re going to split the difference.”

In a separate recording from the same event, Justice Alito’s wife, Martha-Ann Alito, complains about rainbow flags during Pride Month, quotes at length from the Bible, assails feminists as “feminazis” and boasts of her “German heritage.”

In May, Justice Alito told Congress that he will not recuse himself from cases involving Donald Trump and the January 6 Capitol insurrection after photos emerged of two flags associated with election deniers flying in front of his homes in Virginia and New Jersey.