Democrat vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) implied during her questioning of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett that the mother of two adopted black children does not understand race issues.
“My question is do you agree with Justice Roberts who said, ‘Voting discrimination still exists,’” Harris said. “‘No one doubts that.’ Do you agree with that statement?”
“Senator Harris I will not comment on what any justice said in an opinion,” Barrett said. “Whether an opinion is right or wrong. or endorse that proposition.”
“Do you call it a proposition or a fact?” Harris said. “Are you saying you don’t agree with a fact?”
“Senator, I’m not going to make a comment,” Barrett said. “I’m not going to say that I endorse either majority or the dissent in the case of Shelby County.”
Harris and Barrett were discussing a voting rights case out of Texas.
“Are you saying you refuse to dispute a known fact?” Harris said. “Or that you refuse to agree with a known fact.” Barrett replied:
Senator, I’m not exactly sure what you’re getting at with asking me to endorse the fact or that any particular practice constitutes voter discrimination. I’m very happy to say that I think racial discrimination still exists in the United States, and I think we’ve seen evidence of that this summer.
“Do you think voting discrimination exists based on race in America in any form?” Harris said.
“Senator Harris, there have been cases — we’ve talked in this hearing about the Wisconsin case that came up to the court involving voting. I think anything — any opinion that I would express…” Barrett said. “And I don’t mean to signal that I disagree with the statement either.”
“What I mean to say is that I’m not going to express an opinion, because these are very charged issues,” Barrett said. “They have been litigated in the courts, and so I will not engage on that question.”
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