Cruz calls Biden's move to name black woman to Supreme Court 'offensive'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is criticizing President Joe Biden's promise to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court seat that will be left open by retiring Associate Justice Stephen Breyer this summer.

According to Business Insider, Cruz called the move “offensive” and said it is “insulting to black women.” Cruz spoke out about this on his podcast “Verdict with Ted Cruz” and pointed out that black women only take up 6% of the population. 

“He’s saying to 94% of Americans, ‘I don’t give a damn about you, you are ineligible,'” Cruz said. “He's saying, 'If you're a white guy, tough luck. If you're a white woman, tough luck. You don't qualify.”

Naming a black woman to the Supreme Court was a campaign promise of Biden’s that he has reiterated time and time again. Last month, Breyer announced that he would be retiring this summer and White House Press Secretary Jenn Psaki recently told the press that he would be following through on that promise. After Biden announced Breyer’s decision to retire from the court, he told the public he will, indeed, be nominating what will be the first black woman to the Supreme Court that will have “extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity.

“It’s long overdue, in my opinion,” Biden said.

While this has been lauded by many Democrats, with many calling for him to nominate a black woman following Breyer’s retirement, it has received negative reactions from some Republicans. One Republican was U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) who compared this move to “affirmative action.”

However, other Republicans disagreed with Wicker and Cruz’s assessments. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) suggested that J. Michelle Childs would be a good pick. He called her “incredibly qualified” and said there is “no affirmative action” if she is chosen. 

The White House has backed up Biden’s decision saying that this is not far out of line from other presidents. President Ronald Reagan vowed to name the first woman to the Supreme Court which he did in 1981 by appointing Sandra Day O’Connor. President Donald Trump also vowed to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a woman following her death, and he did so by naming Amy Coney Barrett in 2020.