A note to Ted Cruz, now that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a Supreme Court justice

White men are 31% of the U.S. population and yet 93% of Supreme Court justices have been white males. Shouldn’t we take a break from having white males on the court for the next, what, 300 years, to balance the scales?

SHARE A note to Ted Cruz, now that Ketanji Brown Jackson is a Supreme Court justice
President Joe Biden holds hands with Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as they watch the Senate vote on her confirmation from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 7, 2022.

President Joe Biden holds hands with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as they watch the Senate vote on her Supreme Court confirmation from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 7, 2022.

AP

Now that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been confirmed as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, I feel a tiny bit of sympathy for Sen. Ted Cruz, especially for the way his mind works. Cruz has said, “Black women are, what, 6% of the US population? He’s (Joe Biden) saying to 94% of Americans: ‘I don’t give a damn about you.’”

Before Jackson’s confirmation, there had been 115 Supreme Court justices. Six percent of 115 is 7. Shouldn’t the next six justices be Black women? White men are 31% of the U.S. population and yet 93% of Supreme Court justices have been white males. Shouldn’t we take a break from having white males on the court for the next, what, 300 years, to balance the scales?

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Absurd? Yes. But let’s remember this absurdity that Cruz has graced us with. For all those years before Thurgood Marshall joined the Supreme Court in 1967, followed by Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981, when only white males were on the Supreme Court, were the rest of Americans being told, “We don’t give a damn about you?” 

Cruz says Jackson will be the most extreme justice in the history of the Supreme Court, but wasn’t that title permanently retired by the first Catholic justice, Roger B. Taney, author of the beyond-extreme Dred Scott decision? 

Kevin Coughlin, Evanston

Lopez loses credibility by appearing on Tucker Carlson

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has done a pretty good job, but I always like to keep an open mind and evaluate all candidates fairly.

I didn’t know much about Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), but he appeared to be an enthusiastic entrant into the mayor’s race, and I looked forward to learning more about him.

To my shock, however, he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show, on Fox, to trash the mayor and go on and on about the problems in Chicago.

Carlson promotes conspiracy theories, apparently approves of Vladimir Putin, has lied about COVID-19 protocols and has otherwise proved himself to be anti-democratic, as well as anti-all Democrats. Why would Lopez choose this venue for his high-profile interview after announcing he’s running for mayor?

He has demeaned himself by this association.

Carol Kraines, Deerfield

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