scotus hearings

Most Read

Top stories

GOP's Official Account Posts GIF Replacing Judge Jackson's Initials With 'CRT'—and People Are Livid
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson—President Joe Biden's nomination to the Supreme Court and the first Black woman nominated to the nation's highest Court—began sitting for the Senate Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings this week and has already faced some stunning, and largely misleading, attacks from Republican members.

One notable moment came from far-right Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who suggested in her opening remarks that Judge Jackson's "personal hidden agenda" was to instill critical race theory into the American legal system.

Critical race theory, or "CRT," is an advanced academic framework examining the myriad of ways that racist policies like slavery and segregation have created or exacerbated current racial inequalities in American society across economic, social, political, and other facets. The theory has become a hot-button issue after Republicans have misleadingly decried the theory for supposedly being taught widely across secondary schools, claiming it teaches children to hate white people.

In an ill-advised tweet, the Republican Party's official Twitter account posted a GIF featuring Judge Jackson's image, crossing out her initials, "KBJ," to replace them with "CRT."

The tweet linked to a page from the Republican Party's rapid response team which noted Jackson's previous praise for scholars who've contributed to critical race theory, claiming it was evidence of Jackson's supposedly "extreme" views.

The party's suggestion that Judge Jackson is a Trojan horse for critical race theory struck social media users as blatantly racist.






Some speculated on the GOP's definition of critical race theory.



Jackson has already been confirmed by the Senate on a bipartisan basis for lower court positions, and her ultimate confirmation to the Supreme Court is considered highly likely.