Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not answer when asked who he would nominate to the Supreme Court if he were elected president of the United States.
Kennedy, who will be running as an Independent in the 2024 election, paused for several seconds when asked in a recent interview with conservative activist Charlie Kirk whom he would nominate to the Supreme Court. Worse still, the candidate could not answer when asked to name a “current or recent” Supreme Court justice who is in line with his views.
“I couldn’t answer that,” said RFK Jr. “I would say I’m going to appoint judges who, who reflect my values.”
When Kirk asked if a justice like Clarence Thomas (conservative) or Elena Kagan (liberal) better reflected his values, Kennedy also refused to answer.
“I don’t know, I wouldn’t answer that,” Kennedy said.
“But respectfully, you’re running for president,” Kirk shot back. “That’s a huge issue for voters, especially for Second Amendment rights, abortion.”
Kennedy then fired off a list of his most “important issues.”
“Free market capitalism, strong environmental protection, strong liberties, human rights, civil rights, bodily autonomy, and skepticism toward big business and corporate control of our country and a hostility toward corruption,” Kennedy said.
When asked to name his favorite Supreme Court justice ever, Kennedy said, “Earl Warren,” but Kirk noted that the Warren court – Earl Warren is known to have been the most liberal chief justice in American history – most notably ended prayer in public schools.
“This is why I don’t want to pick a particular justice,” Kennedy said. “I’m telling you what I would look for in a justice, but I’m not going to endorse every decision. So I can see the trick here, which is I name a judge and you’re going to pick a decision that I would not endorse.”
“It’s not a trick. You’re running for president and you know I have respect for you,” Kirk replied.
Kennedy did, however, note that stances on an issue like affirmative action would not be disqualifying for a justice.
“I would look at the whole package,” he said.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.