Schumer omits Thurgood Marshall from history in Supreme Court justices quip
by Kaelan Deese, Breaking News Reporter |
| February 03, 2022 02:22 PM
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday erroneously claimed that the Supreme Court was composed of all white men "until 1981," glossing over Thurgood Marshall, the first black justice.
"Until 1981, this powerful body, the Supreme Court, was all white men. Imagine," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "America wasn't all white men in 1981, or ever. Under President Biden and this Senate majority, we're taking historic steps to make the courts look more like the country they serve."
Schumer later acknowledged in a tweet that he "misspoke" during his speech, apologizing for the error. "Of course, I remember the dedication and legal excellence that Thurgood Marshall brought to the Supreme Court," he said.
Schumer's mention of 1981 serves as a reference to the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor by President Ronald Reagan, making her the first woman to join the nation's highest court. The nomination and Senate confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas, the second black Supreme Court justice, came a decade later.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/schumer-claims-no-black-scotus-justices-until-1981
