During a recent interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, expressed her strong disapproval of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for his concurrence with the Court’s 6-3 ruling that declared race-based college admissions unconstitutional. Ocasio-Cortez criticized Thomas for stating that blacks are not “victims,” considering it to be profoundly disrespectful.
The remarks were made by Ocasio-Cortez during an interview with host Dana Bash. They discussed the heated exchange between Justice Thomas and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who are the only two black justices on the court, regarding the ruling. Bash highlighted a portion of Justice Thomas’ writing, where he argued against labeling every black person as a victim based on statistical correlations between race and certain indicators of well-being.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to Thomas’ statements by expressing her belief that they were profoundly disrespectful to his colleague. She also suggested that Thomas’ words reflected a flawed and inadequately thought-out perspective, implying that he held an inferior or less nuanced stance.
“I find his statement extremely offensive. It reveals both his character and worldview,” Ocasio-Cortez stated. “In my opinion, he demonstrated both through that critique.”