U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to observe the national anthem “dumb and disrespectful” in an interview with Katie Couric of Yahoo News.
Ginsburg’s comments came in the context of a broader discussion about the current state of race relations in the U.S.
“Would I arrest them for doing it? No,” Ginsburg said. “I think it’s dumb and disrespectful. I would have the same answer if you asked me about flag burning. I think it’s a terrible thing to do, but I wouldn’t lock a person up for doing it. I would point out how ridiculous it seems to me to do such an act.” (RELATED: Notorious RBG Says Senate Should Vote On Garland’s SCOTUS Nomination)
Couric asked if this meant she condemned the protest but acknowledged it was lawful.
“Yes,” Ginsburg responded. “If they want to be stupid, there’s no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there’s no law that prevents them from that. What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that.”
Her comments won a gentle rebuke from her legions of fans, who style themselves acolytes of “#NotoriousRBG.” “To quote RBG herself ‘One can disagree without being disagreeable,'” the Notorious RBG blog wrote. “Regarding her recent remarks about athletes’ peaceful protest, we respectfully disagree.”
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