Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee called for Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey to “retract” his “irresponsible and inflammatory statements” about judicial originalism.
Markey reacted Monday to the then-scheduled confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court with a tweet calling judicial originalism — the concept that the Constitution should be applied as written — as “racist.”
“Originalism is racist,” wrote Markey. “Originalism is sexist. Originalism is homophobic. Originalism is just a fancy word for discrimination.”
Originalism is racist. Originalism is sexist. Originalism is homophobic. Originalism is just a fancy word for discrimination.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) October 26, 2020
Lee became indignant when asked about Markey’s statement during a Monday morning appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
“This is patently irresponsible,” he said.
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“Of all the irresponsible and inflammatory statements I’ve heard over the last few weeks, and I’ve heard some doozies, this might well be the worst,” he said.
“If you think about what he’s really saying there, Senator Markey has essentially said that our Constitution is racist,” Lee continued. “And an effort to understand it, understand its words at the time they were written is itself racist and bigoted.”
The Utah senator then called for Markey to withdraw his statement as indefensible.
“I can’t think of a statement that has a greater tendency to undermine the foundation of our constitutional republic,” he concluded. “I hope, expect, and demand that Senator Markey retract his statement. It is irresponsible; he can’t defend that.” (RELATED: Conservatives Celebrate ‘Historic’ Confirmation Of Amy Coney Barrett To Supreme Court)
Barrett, who considers herself a judicial originalist, was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Monday with a 52-48 largely partisan vote.