Brooks: ‘I Support the Idea’ of Biden’s SCOTUS Pledge, But Diversity Should Be about ‘The Whole Person’

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks said that while he agrees with the idea of President Joe Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, “I’m a little uncomfortable with the way Joe Biden used that pledge during the campaign,” and efforts to have diversity “should treat the whole person.”

Brooks said, “I want the court, like every institution in American life, to look like America. We’ve known how — we’ve learned and I think all known how important it is to have people from different backgrounds. Because you’re — we’re not just machines who think. We come from a certain background. We’re formed by certain values and experiences. So, it’s important to have that diversity. Nonetheless, I confess I’m a little uncomfortable at fronting that identity, putting that identity up front. And I think universities have learned that, as they seek diversity, they should treat the whole person. And so, naming it that way and putting those identity issues up front, to me, it’s a matter of articulation. But I would like to emphasize, I would like to think the part of the person that’s up front is their wisdom, their compassion, their care, and that they are treated as a whole person. And so, I confess I’m a little uncomfortable with the way Joe Biden used that pledge during the campaign, though I support the idea of the pledge.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett