Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson dismissed claims she relied on critical race theory when handing down sentences during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
“It never comes up in my work as a judge. It is not something I studied or relied on and it wouldn’t be something I relied on if I were on the Supreme Court,” Judge Jackson told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, referenced a 2015 speech the nominee gave at the University of Chicago where she said, “Sentencing is just plain interesting because it melds together various types of law — criminal law and of course constitutional law, critical race theory.”
“You described in a speech to a law school as what you were doing as critical race theory,” Mr. Cruz told the nominee.
Judge Jackson pushed back, saying she was talking about sentencing policy — not actual sentences being issued.
“I was talking about policy determinations of bodies like the Sentencing Commission when they look at a laundry list of various academic subjects,” she said. “It doesn’t come up in the work that I do as a judge.”
Republicans have complained about the growing influence of critical race theory, a progressive-backed curriculum being taught in some schools that views much of U.S. history through the prism of race and racism.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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