‘The View’ Hosts Slam Backlash To President Biden’s Plans To Appoint First Black Female Supreme Court Justice: “All Politics Is Identity Politics”

Since President Joe Biden affirmed his commitment to appointing the first Black female Supreme Court justice following news of Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement, conservative critics have argued that he’s prioritizing “identity politics” over naming a qualified justice. On today’s episode of The View, the ABC talk show’s hosts slammed this backlash and pointed out that “all politics is identity politics.”

Sunny Hostin took issue with the implication that there can’t be a Black woman who’s qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. Instead, she noted that if a Black woman could graduate from a prestitigous law school “in spite of the institutional” and “systemic” racism of the US, “she’s probably over-qualified for any of these positions.”

After Sara Haines praised Biden for not calling direct attention to race when he gave a speech about appointing the next Supreme Court justice, Hostin argued: “Because she is Black, that adds another perspective, and that actually is a positive thing… This country is not race neutral. The fact that she is representing a community that is vastly underrepresented in the federal judiciary is a positive. It’s an addition, and it’s important to note erase that.”

“This accusation of identity politics just suggests that the person isn’t qualified,” guest host Lisa Ling added. “In the court’s 232-year history, there have been less than a handful of people of color who have been justices. You couldn’t become a justice if you weren’t a white man. How is that not identity politics?”

The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC. Scroll up to watch a clip from today’s episode.

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