South Carolina Democrat and Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, who is challenging incumbent GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, weighed in on the confirmation battle for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the idea of “court packing.”
Harrison initially said that he opposed the radical left’s idea of expanding the size of the Supreme Court. He clarified that he would be open to it if a justice said that Plessy v. Ferguson should be established law again, throwing a not-so-subtle dig at Judge Barrett:
WHAT?!
— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) October 9, 2020
Democrat Jaime Harrison suggesting Judge Amy Coney Barrett and Republicans could bring back slavery?! pic.twitter.com/mmAjKd6hdC
Sixty years after the decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, the high court unanimously ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional under the fourteenth amendment, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson. There is no evidence that Judge Barrett, or any potential Supreme Court nominee on President Trump’s list, would favor resurrecting racial segregation laws, and to insinuate such fosters needless division. In fact, Judge Barrett has voiced her support for Justice John Marshall Harlan's famous dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson, that originally challenged the "separate but equal" provision in the constitution:
Judge Barrett has embraced Harlan's dissent in Plessy, praising him for "refus[ing] to go along with the pernicious 'separate but equal' doctrine."https://t.co/Xv3zvLiSaz pic.twitter.com/HgCFVMdPtS
— Ed Whelan (@EdWhelanEPPC) October 9, 2020
Harrison’s abhorrent assertion piles onto the partisan smear campaign put in motion by Democrats, in hopes of derailing Judge Barrett’s confirmation. His comment mirrors the unhinged rhetoric put forth by an ally of Harrison's, Speaker Pelosi, as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) pointed out:
“Maybe the only person more unhinged than Nancy Pelosi is her close-friend Democrat Jaime Harrison," NRSC spokesperson Nate Brand said. "Between Harrison’s totally insane suggestions like Amy Coney Barrett would bring back slavery, and his close relationship with Hillary Clinton, South Carolinians know he’s way too liberal to represent them.”
Sen. Graham, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is set to begin Judge Barrett’s confirmation process on Monday.
