Christopher Rufo thinks senators should put Biden's SCOTUS nominee on the spot about critical race theory

As we said in a recent post, we were expecting the Mitt Romney wing of the Republican Party to enthusiastically confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Kentaji Brown Jackson. But then again, doing that wouldn’t stop one Democrat from considering Republicans racist and sexist anyway. Sen. Josh Hawley seems to recognize that, and, according to the White House, “cherry-picked” bits of Jackson’s record that make her sound soft on sex offenders and child pornography.

Christopher Rufo isn’t a senator, but he has a suggestion for senators: find out where Jackson stands on critical race theory. Rufo kicks off his thread with an MLK Day lecture Jackson gave at the University of Michigan which referenced Professor Derrick Bell and his work.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is a lifelong admirer of the father of critical race theory, Derrick Bell, who wrote that the Constitution was like "roach powder," that whites might commit "racial genocide," and that his motto was "I live to harass white folks." pic.twitter.com/fhGEf0kFk0

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

This isn't a speech from thirty years ago. It's from January 20, 2020. She endorses a book that was foundational to critical race theory and made the case that, given the choice, whites would trade African-Americans away to space aliens and banish them from the universe.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

This isn't just metaphorical. Bell told NPR's Fresh Air he believed whites would make the trade in real life. He argued in the book that the history of slavery was not only "an example of what white America has done," but "a constant reminder of what white American might do."

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

Senators should cite passages from "Faces at the Bottom of the Well" and ask if Judge Jackson agrees with them. Put her on the spot about critical race theory.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

Jackson also credits the work of Bell’s widow, Janet Dewart Bell, another leading CRT advocate. Jackson said Dewart Bell first illuminated many of the “observations that I am presenting.” “I have drawn heavily from her excellent insights,” Jackson said.

During her lecture, Jackson also highlighted The New York Times’ “1619 Project” and its architect, “acclaimed investigative journalist” Nikole Hannah-Jones. The 1619 Project began as a series of essays, later repurposed into educational materials for K-12 students, that claimed the United States’ “true founding” took place in 1619 with the arrival of the first slave ship in the U.S.

UPDATE: Jackson's math doesn't add up. She was born in 1970 and "Faces at the Bottom of the Well" wasn't published until 1992, when she was 22 years old and a student at Harvard—during the exact timeframe that Derrick Bell was engaging in his nationally-publicized protest.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

In other words, her story that her parents had "Faces at the Bottom of the Well"—a key text of critical race theory—on their coffee table when Jackson was growing up is absolutely false. Jackson made up the story and is obscuring her connection to CRT. The Senate should ask why.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

That reminds us of Vice President Kamala Harris recalling smoking pot while listening to rappers whose albums wouldn’t be released for years.

To recap, Ketanji Brown Jackson and the father of critical race theory, Derrick Bell, were both at Harvard during the same years. Jackson cites Bell as an inspiration and wrote her thesis on "the hands of oppression" and the law. What is her relationship with CRT?

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

Here's the full transcript of Jackson's speech citing Derrick Bell and drawing extensively on the work of Bell's widow, Janet Dewart Bell, who played a pivotal role in promoting critical race theory after his death. https://t.co/6P7pik9dFI

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

We can pretty much guarantee right now that no senator is going to bring up any of this. Maybe Ted Cruz. We don’t think it would make a dent, though.

Oddly, this book came out 32 years ago but she says she remembers staring at it growing up and hasn't thought about it in 40 years.

— Karl Smith (@karlbykarlsmith) March 17, 2022

Indeed. Good observation.

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 17, 2022

Things you should know. The problem is not that there are people out there who believe this stuff, but that they are being promoted to the highest positions of leadership in our country.

— Great Awakening (@gr8__awakening) March 17, 2022

And they, in turn, are trying to promote it in the public school system as early as they can.

Related:

WH gets snippy, calls Josh Hawley’s thread on Ketanji Brown Jackson and her record of going easy on sex offenders ‘toxic’ (but they can’t really disprove it) https://t.co/wzHlSwKQEM

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 17, 2022