“This Is Philosophical War …”

… asserted Eva Patterson, director of the Equal Justice Society in San Francisco, as she announced the opposition of a coalition of civil rights groups to the nomination of Janice Brown, now a justice on the California Supreme Court, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. “It’s particularly painful for us to be opposing an African American’s elevation,” Ms. Patterson said between her crocodile tears.

I don’t want to oppose another sister. But this is a philosophical war. . . . If she gets through here, she will probably be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. If Justice Brown is on the (Supreme) Court, there will be no more affirmative action.”

Janice Brown is the daughter of a black Alabama sharecropper. The need for “diversity” apparently stops at the courthouse door.

Say What? (10)

  1. e October 21, 2003 at 6:47 pm | | Reply

    Seems to me that Ms. Patterson is saying that as much as she wants to judge Judge Brown on the color of her skin, this one time she’ll make an exception and judge her on the content of her character.

  2. Richard Nieporent October 22, 2003 at 1:16 am | | Reply

    Actually, it is all about power. There is only one thing these organizations want, and that is power for themselves. Thus, they will oppose anyone from their group who doesn’t toe the party line. In other words, when they claim that they are looking out for the best interests of Blacks, they are lying.

  3. Sandy P. October 22, 2003 at 9:58 am | | Reply

    Instapundit links to a particularly vile cartoon about Judge Brown.

  4. Kimberly October 22, 2003 at 3:15 pm | | Reply

    Did anyone else here catch the extreme condescension of referring to a US Court of Appeals nominee as a “sister?” Um, isn’t that just as degrading as “girl” and “honey” – or is it okay if one black woman uses an inappropriately informal name to refer to another black woman?

    And e, you got it exactly right. Ms. Patterson here is saying that it hurts her NOT to be able to judge Justice Brown solely on the color of her skin, which apparently does not agree with her political beliefs in ways that Ms. Patterson finds appropriate.

    Appalling. Just appalling.

  5. nobody important October 22, 2003 at 3:53 pm | | Reply

    At least Ms. Patterson didn’t refer to Justice Brown as a ‘ho’.

  6. Hello World October 22, 2003 at 4:14 pm | | Reply

    Care to post a link to the Instapundity article? I searched his site and didn’t find any references to Judge Brown.

  7. Sandy P. October 23, 2003 at 10:18 pm | | Reply

    Barnacles, you’re right. It was on another blog. If I run across it, I’ll post it.

    Sorry.

  8. Sandy P. October 23, 2003 at 11:35 pm | | Reply

    Ahh! it was a lawyer, just not the perfesser.

    volokh.com/2003_10_19_volokh_archive.html#106677441242572069

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