Posted on 12/13/2015 1:02:11 PM PST by VinL
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is siding with many Democrats in criticizing conservative Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia over comments he made about African American student achievement during oral arguments earlier this week of the affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas.
"I thought his remarks were very tough,"Trump said of Scalia in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that aired Sunday.
"They were very, very tough to a certain community," the Republican front-runner continued. "I thought it was very tough to the African-American community."
Scalia's remarks, made Wednesday, drew accusations of racism from Democrats and liberal activists who claimed that he was arguing that African American college students are less capable than other students. But Scalia's supporters have said that he was merely citing academic literature which has found that students granted admission based on affirmative action often struggle to keep up with their peers..
"There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well,: Scalia said.
Referencing a friend of the court brief, Scalia said that it "pointed out that most of the black scientists in this country don’t come from schools like the University of Texas."
"They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they’re being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them," the justice continued.
The remarks received immediate pushback from Democratic politicians and liberal activists.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid condemned Scalia's remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday. On Friday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Scalia to recuse himself from affirmative action cases in the future.
Scalia's defenders asserted that he was referring to what is known as "mismatch theory," a theory popularized by UCLA law professor Richard Sander and legal journalist Stuart Taylor Jr. in their book, “Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's intended to Help, and why Universities won’t admit it."
But Trump appears not to buy into the thesis.
"I don't like what he said," Trump told Tapper of Scalia. "I heard him, I was like, let me read it again."
"I'm going 'whoa!'" the real estate billionaire concluded.
It remains to be seen how Trump's supporters will respond to their candidate’s criticism of Scalia, who is perhaps the most conservative Supreme Court justice.
In a round table analysis of Trump's interview, CNN's Dana Bash asserted that "for a Republican, for a conservative, to criticize Scalia is anathema."
"He sounded a lot like Harry Reid sounded there," she added.
Plus Scalia said “there are those who contend.....” How is that rough? Trump does not know what he is talking about.
The best response is that lady justice wears a blindfold and that the law is color blind.
There's a lot to like about Donald, but he worries me.
Today Trump sided with Reid, Pelosi, Boehner, McConnell, and Obama against Cruz. Attacking Cruz from the left may play well on FR, but it remains to be seen how well it plays out is Sourh Carolina and beyond.
He worries me a lot. His supporters love to refer to his “Art of the Deal” book. There he explains how he asks for something preposterous first so that he can negotiate down to what he really wants.
That’s a good thing? How do they know whether what he is proposing is his preposterous version or his real version? They are just asking to get burned. Fine if it didn’t mean we get burned along with them.
>> DT doesn’t need Scalia. He can appoint his radical pro partial birth murder sister to the court <<
Yeah, but if Cruz is still in the Senate, he’d quash the nomination via filibuster. So not to worry!
Another non-story about Trump in hopes of making a mountain out of a molecule.
Go Trump!
Oh, that’s different (not).
You nailed it.
LOL. Sarcasm?
Let’s hope in the wisdom of American voters.
I cannot believe that OBummer was re-elected.
after being calling racist Trump should know better tan to try to imply Scalia is such. Trump read the lamemedia narrative which attacked Scalia and accepted it!!!!
Looking at trump’s support, I am not currently filled with confidence.
It's only playing well with the deep into the kool aid crowd. Many trumpettes no where to be seen today. I suspect many will skip it for a while. And no, attacking is fine, but attacking FROM THE LEFT and FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT play book is really stupid.
Heard from the grape vine by word of mouth that the Trump supporters on Twitter are deserting him in droves and most are going over to Ted Cruz.
Their true colors are showing as they keep talking.
The Trump supporters won’t have to worry about the GOPe and the MEDIA tearing Trump down, be is doing a mighty fine job of that all by him self, he and his supporters won’t have anyone to blame but Trump him self.
His lack of studying the issues, and being aware of the issues then responding to them in the manner he has truly shows his heart and shows where his true intentions are regardless in how much he is trying to fool the public that he is conservative.
I've said for months that no one can bring down Trump, but Trump. He started doing so this weekend. He might turn it around, but I think these three comments are going to be big.
Support for Trump is not as soild as the Trump supporters would have us think.
I know personally people who were for Trump who switched their support to Ted CRUZ.
Heard through the grapevine by word of mouth that many Trump supporters on Twitter are deserting Trump in droves and most are going to Ted Cruz.
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