One justice explained absence from case. Another didn’t. Ethics questions vexing Supreme Court

A week ago, Justice Elena Kagan became the first member of the court to explain herself, indicating that her previous employment in President Barack Obama’s administration kept her out of an appeal, rejected by the court, from a death row inmate in Florida. But on Tuesday, when the court turned away an appeal from energy companies, Justice Samuel Alito said nothing about why he was not involved. Alito did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for comment, sent through the court’s public information office. The probable reason for Alito’s decision is not hard to find in his latest financial disclosure report: He owns between $15,000 and $50,000 in stock in Phillips 66, one of the companies that appealed.