Source: Bill Clark / Getty
While the nation’s focus should be on the fact that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to ascend to the U.S. Supreme Court bench, political theater takes center stage once again. Sen. Tim Scott, the Senate’s lone Black Republican Party member, elected not to vote to confirm Justice Brown Jackson, prompting Scott’s name to trend on Twitter.
Justice Brown Jackson’s confirmation vote enjoyed full support from all Democratic Party senators along with independents Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Angus King; Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Susan Collins, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski were the only votes from GOP senators.
Justice Brown Jackson faced grueling questions from GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee during hearings ahead of her confirmation, with Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton, and Sen. Josh Hawley using various angles to dig deeper into the judicial philosophy of Brown Jackson. At times, the questioning from GOP senators bordered in vehemence even while Brown Jackson remained composed despite the barrage.
Sen. Scott has been a frequent target of criticism by those in the media after announcing he would be voting no in Justice Brown Jackson’s confirmation, including MSNBC host Joy Reid who wrote via Twitter this past Tuesday (April 5), “All accuracy here. Not surprised by anything @SenatorTimScott does. He let @LindseyGrahamSC & the sheriffs dog-walk him
and destroy police reform after pretending to work on it and now he’ll go along with Lindsey’s barking-dog racism against Judge Jackson because: he’s Tim Scott.”
All accuracy here. Not surprised by anything @SenatorTimScott does. He let @LindseyGrahamSC & the sheriffs dog-walk him and destroy police reform after pretending to work on it and now he'll go along with Lindsey's barking-dog racism against Judge Jackson because: he's Tim Scott. https://t.co/exvIq90jIW
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid
(@JoyAnnReid) April 5, 2022
Scott’s office released a statement after the senator pushed back at Reid’s comments during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
From Sen. Tim Scott’s office:
I did not vote for her for a lower court because I believe that her judicial philosophy is inconsistent [with] what is in the best interest of our judiciary. It’s not Biden’s Supreme Court; it’s America’s Supreme Court. The number of her cases that have been overturned only reinforces the fact that this requires a deeper look. And the deeper I look, the more I realize that her judicial philosophy is antithetical to mine.
Law experts have mentioned repeatedly that Justice Brown Jackson’s record on sentencing falls in line with other federal judges with the time handed out falling just short of the guidelines laid out in court. This was a sticking point for the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and also that of Scott, who claimed in his statement that Justice Brown Jackson’s “judicial philosophy is antithetical to mine.”
On Twitter, folks are aiming harsh words toward Sen. Tim Scott. We’ve got those reactions below.
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Photo:
1.
Only 11 Black people have served in the US Senate, Tim Scott is the only one who can say he opposed the nomination of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
That's embarrassing.
— Covie (@covie_93) April 7, 2022
2.
There are 3 Black men in the U.S. Senate, 1 of them, Tim Scott voted no on confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
There is always one of us, who thinks they know better than the rest of us Black folks. His no vote is a disgrace.
Yea I said it.
— Gary Chambers (@GaryChambersJr) April 7, 2022
3.
Imagine being Black Republican Senator Tim Scott voting against the historic nomination of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court while three of your white Republican colleagues vote for her.
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 7, 2022
4.
Scott, Graham defend votes against Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination https://t.co/0M5a76fLnl
"FLIP-FLOP"…Lindsey Graham….no surprise…!!!
"Uncle TIM Scott"…no surprise either…
TRUMP flunkies…
BOTH lack…cujones…
when it comes…
to RIGHT and WRONG…!!!— alan sheppard (@nyshepfla) April 7, 2022
5.
Pretty sure no one is surprised that Tim Scott, the ‘America is not a racist country’ guy, was a “no” vote on KBJ. All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk. #Freshwords
— LanaQuest aka RosaSparks (@LqLana) April 7, 2022
6.
How could Tim Scott (R-SC), as a Black Man, vote “no” on confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a more than qualified Black Woman… and still be able to look at himself in the mirror?
— RazzLi (@razzli_) April 7, 2022
7.
Imagine being Tim Scott and knowing that NONE of these MFs thinks you’re his equal…yet, you keep smiling & keep groveling & keep doing everything possible2make them believe you’re one of the “good ones” and that they at least think you’re better than the rest of “those people.” pic.twitter.com/z1Az0zqQ3r
— Kenny BooYah!
(@KwikWarren) April 8, 2022
8.
The historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court has passed 53>46.
My question is what's the of the massa who owns Senator Tim Scott? He didn't vote for a qualified black woman and he didn't for the voters rights bill.One Day
pic.twitter.com/qIbH7qC7Cu
— Elysium @ONELOVE (@ElysiumONELOVE1) April 7, 2022
9.
Tim Scott is an utter disgrace. PERIOD
South Carolina do better and vote for Catherine Fleming Bruce. https://t.co/0CuWR8Or1E
— Evie CG (@cg_evie) April 7, 2022
10.
Others paved the way for Tim Scott to be where he is, only for him to vote against the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson. Wow.
— Avenger Resister (@AvengerResister) April 7, 2022
11.
Senator Tim Scott is a pathetic bastard.
— Larry Middleton – Democracy Forward in 2022!
(@l78lancer) April 7, 2022
13.
Tim Scott voted against putting the most qualified judge, who happened to be a Black woman, on the Supreme Court today.
That’s a damn shame! pic.twitter.com/XrELnLox4f
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) April 8, 2022