Ted Cruz Confronts Ketanji Brown Jackson With Her Previous Comments on Critical Race Theory

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) pressed Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday over her beliefs on the issue of critical race theory.

During around 12 out of the 30 allotted minutes Cruz had to question Jackson — who, if confirmed, would be the first Black female justice — the senator asked the nominee what she thought CRT is.

“Senator, my understanding is that critical race theory is – it is an academic theory that is about the ways in which race interacts with various institutions,” said Jackson. “It doesn’t come up in my work as a judge. It’s never something that I’ve studied or relied on, and it wouldn’t be something that I would rely on if I was on the Supreme Court.”

Jackson – who said that looking at everything through the prism of race shouldn’t be done in society – noted that she “has never studied critical race theory and never used it.”

Cruz pointed to an April 2015 speech Jackson gave at the University of Chicago, displaying a board showing snippets of her comments: “sentencing is just plain interesting because it melds together myriad types of law — criminal law and, of course … constitutional law, critical race theory…”

“So you described in a speech to a law school what you were doing as critical race theory,” said Cruz. “And so I guess I would ask, what did you mean by that when you gave that speech?”

“The quote that you’re mentioning there was about sentencing policy,” Jackson replied. “It was not about sentencing. I was talking about the policy determinations of bodies like the Sentencing Commission when they look at a laundry list of various academic subjects as they consider what the policy should be.”

Cruz reiterated his question as to what Jackson meant by critical race theory.

“What I meant was there was a number of – that slide does not show the entire laundry list of different academic disciplines that I said relate to sentencing policy,” she said. “But none of that relates to what I do as a judge.”

Cruz followed up by asking Jackson if CRT is taught in K-12 schools. Jackson said she didn’t know, though guessed it isn’t – even though it is.

Cruz then turned his attention of Georgetown Day School, which Jackson sits on and that reportedly teaches CRT. Cruz noted as such as presented pro-CRT books that are part of the private day school’s curriculum such as Antiracist Baby by CRT activist Ibram Kendi – a book Cruz said is taught in pre-K-2 grades.

“Do you agree with this book that is being taught with kids that babies are racist,” asked Cruz.

“Senator, I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist or though they are not valued or though they are less than, that they are victims, that they are oppressors. I don’t believe in any of that,” replied Jackson. “But what I will say is when you asked me whether or not this was taught in schools, critical race theory, my understanding is critical race theory as an academic theory is taught in law schools and to the extent that you were asking the question I understood you to be addressing public schools.”

Jackson added that the board does not have control over the school’s curriculum.

Watch above, via MSNBC.