Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Arkansas) concluded a heated exchange with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday by telling the judge that it’s a good thing he’s not on the Supreme Court.
Cotton’s made the remark during an oversight hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republicans attacked Garland over a memo that was issued earlier this month offering federal assistance to schools and local law enforcement amid a rise in violent threats against education officials and teachers, according to The Hill.
Republicans falsely claim the memo is the latest attempt by the Biden Justice Department to stifle free speech.
Garland pushed back on that misrepresentation on Wednesday, arguing that there is nothing in the department’s memo that could infringe on free speech rights of parents.
“This memorandum is not about parents being able to object in their school boards. They are protected by the First Amendment, as long as there are no threats of violence, they are completely protected. So parents can object to their school boards, about curriculum, about the treatment of their children, about school policies, all of that is 100 percent protected by the First Amendment and there is nothing in this memorandum contrary to that. We are only trying to prevent violence against school officials,” Garland said.
But, Cotton was not satisfied. He called Garland’s testimony and “performance” “shameful,” adding, “thank God, you’re not on the Supreme Court. You should resign in disgrace, judge.”
Garland was nominated to serve on the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in 2016 to fill the seat left vacant by the death Antonin Scalia but Senate Republicans opposed his confirmation arguing at the time that it was close to an election. Of course, those same group of Republicans confirmed Donald Trump’s nominee Amy Comey Barrett while early voting in the 2020 presidential election had already began.
