No, Screening for Race Is Not Like Screening for Ideology

Despite what the Bill Kristols of the world might argue, there are legitimate reasons to screen out Supreme Court candidates. Race and sex are not among them.

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President Joe Biden speaks about the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer at the end of the court’s current term at the White House in Washington, D.C., January 27, 2022.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Echoing a line that has been deployed widely since President Biden confirmed that he would screen by race and sex in his search for a new Supreme Court justice, the Bulwark’s Bill Kristol took to Twitter last week to offer up a nonsensical conflation of ideas. “I say this as someone who would prefer no prior public limitation by race or gender of the field of possible Court nominees,” Kristol wrote, but “what about Trump limiting his picks to a list produced by the Federalist Society?”

What, indeed?

Charles C. W. Cooke

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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