Fox host Tucker Carlson has been labeled racist on Twitter, again, after asking President Joe Biden to release the LSAT scores of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Wednesday night’s episode of his primetime show.
As he discussed Biden’s State of the Union address, Carlson questioned Biden’s description of Jackson as one of the country’s “top legal minds.”
“That’s not a name most Americans know because Ketanji Brown Jackson has been an appellate judge for less than a year. But Joe Biden assured us she is, quote, ‘one of our top legal minds,'” he began. “So, is Ketanji Brown Jackson — a name that even Joe Biden has trouble pronouncing — one of the top legal minds in the entire country?”
“We certainly hope so. Biden’s right. Appointing her is one of his gravest constitutional duties. So it might be time for Joe Biden to let us know what Ketanji Brown Jackson’s LSAT score was,” he said.
Jackson, a two-time Harvard graduate, currently serves as one of the judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. President Biden nominated her as a potential Supreme Court justice to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, following through on his promise to nominate a woman of color. According to Newsweek, Carlson complained at the time of the announcement that Biden’s pick was made “on the basis of appearance.”
Jackson’s supporters came to her defense, calling Carlson’s remarks “racist” as others in the field pointed out they had never been asked for their LSAT results.
“Who asks doctors about their MCATs. It’s also the kind of question racists ask,” MSNBC political commentator Jason Johnson wrote.
“Just adding this to my files for the next time somebody asks me to prove racism exists. I’m going have to get a separate file cabinet for Tucker,” W. Kamau Bell said.
“There was no correlation between that score and the practice of law. Tucker pretends there is one because he’s a racist,” Seth Abramson said.
“Judge Brown Jackson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, Cum Laude from Harvard Law, & was the editor of the Harvard Law review. She is the real deal. I’ve never heard ‘Tie Too Tight’ ask about lsat scores for other nominees, but typical of those who feel a bit ‘inadequate,'” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison wrote.
CNN reports Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings will begin on March 21, with Democratic leaders hoping to reach a final decision by April 8.
