Harry Reid And John Lewis Slam Antonin Scalia For ‘Racist’ Comments

Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. John Lewis both slammed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, after his comments during an affirmative action case on Thursday.

Harry Reid, John Lewis, Call Out Antonin Scalia For ‘Racist’ Comments

Lewis, also a civil rights activist, suggested Scalia should consider removing himself from the case, Fisher v. University of Texas.

“Justice Scalia’s evident bias is very troubling to me. It leads me to question his ability to make impartial judgments in this case,” the Georgia representative said in a statement.

“I’m just not impressed by the fact that the University of Texas may have fewer [African-Americans],” Scalia said in regards to the case.

“There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a less — a slower-track school where they do well,” Scalia explained, according to the court transcript.

Lewis said he was “shocked and amazed” by Scalia’s comments, adding, “his suggestion that African-Americans would fare better at schools that are ‘less advanced’ or on a ‘slow-track’ remind me of the kind of prejudice that led to separate and unequal school systems.”

Senator Reid took to the Senate floor to denounce Scalia’s comments as “racist.”

“These ideas that he pronounced yesterday are racist in application, if not intent,” Reid remarked. “His endorsement of racist theories has frightening ramifications, not the least of which is to undermine the academic achievements of Americans, African-Americans especially.”

Reid also compared Scalia’s comments to the speeches coming from Donald Trump, and the Republicans.

“As we speak, Donald Trump is proposing to ban Muslim immigration. Other leading candidates are proposing a religious test, tossing around slurs on a daily basis,” Reid pointed out.

“The only difference between the ideas endorsed by Trump and Scalia is that Scalia has a robe and a lifetime appointment,” the senator added.