Kennedy rams through amendment condemning racist attacks on Clarence Thomas

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a Supreme Court ethics reform bill on Wednesday after Republicans proposed a litany of amendments, including a resolution to condemn racist statements against Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, which caused some consternation among the panel's Democrats.

The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act ultimately secured passage through the committee on a 11-10 party line vote, with Democrats backing the bill. Despite voting against the ultimate bill, Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy managed to secure the inclusion of the resolution, Newsweek reported.

The tense exchange drew attention to comments that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat, made likening Thomas to a house slave from the film "Django Unchained."

Kennedy's resolution met with some opposition for its sole inclusion of Thomas, with some Democrats seemingly reluctant to embrace the specific resolution.

"How can you not condemn a statement calling Justice Clarence Thomas a house slave? Come on, folks. That's all this amendment does. I mean does anybody here support that kind of rhetoric?" he said.

"This kind of rhetoric hasn't been directed toward John Roberts, it hasn't been directed towards Neil Gorsuch. It's been directed toward Clarence Thomas," he insisted. "It's un-Americans. It's unconscionable and I can't believe we wouldn't condemn it."

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz interjected to highlight Ellison's statement to question whether any other Supreme Court justice had received comparable treatment in recent weeks, to which Kennedy replied "no, sir. And it would be unconscionable for this committee not to condemn that kind of rhetoric for Clarence Thomas."

You either condemn the racist attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas, or you don’t.



After a long discussion today, my Democrat colleagues on the Judiciary Committee finally agreed to condemn the disgusting racism that many have aimed at Justice Thomas. pic.twitter.com/tBptrybb0q

— John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) July 20, 2023

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse contended that the resolution was not relevant to the measure before the panel and noted that the resolution would also urge the Biden administration to enforce the law to protect Supreme Court justices, to which he objected on the basis it would involve the political side of the White House in internal law enforcement decisions.

Cruz then took exception to Whitehouse's reasoning, insisting that "it is now the position of Democrats, that it is unacceptable to ask the Department of Justice to enforce the law."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.