MSNBC Celebrates Biden's 'Diverse' First Judge Picks as a 'Counterpoint,' Ideology Ignored

March 31st, 2021 2:24 PM

MSNBC's shows may have undergone a name change, but Tuesday's edition of Stephanie Ruhle Reports presented the same left-wing bias as before. As President Biden named his first batch of judicial appointments, Ruhle and White House correspondent Kristen Welker marveled how, unlike Trump's judicial nominees, they aren't white males. Their diversity was all that mattered, and their ideology wasn't worth questioning. 

Ruhle began by wondering, "Kristen, while I have you, one of former President Trump's, for conservatives, 'biggest wins' [quote fingers used] were all of the judges he put on the bench. I know President Biden just announced his first round of judicial nominees. What did you learn?"

For Welker, the most important bit of news about these individuals who will be given lifetime appointments to make decisions on matters of great importance, was "the White House is touting the fact this is an historically diverse group of picks, a real counterpoint to some of the judges picked under the previous administration."

Focusing solely on a judicial nominee's race and gender is not new for a Stephanie Ruhle-hosted show.

Welker then proceeded to highlight some of the nominees, "Three black women for the Appeals Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Tiffany Cunningham, Candice Jackson Akiwumi. The first Muslim federal judge, Zahid Quraishi. The first Asian-American Pacific Islander, Florence Pan, and first woman of color for as Federal Judge for Maryland, Lydia Griggsby."

Shifting to the confirmation hearings, Welker contended that the most pressing concern will not be just how far to the left some of these nominees are, but "if they have a corporate background." That's not referring to trouble with Republicans, but with Democrats. 

But she had to repeat, "the White House, trying to underscore the fact that this is a very diverse group." Welker and Ruhle did viewers a disservice by merely repeating White House talking points, but MSNBC is a Democrat channel.

Ketanji Brown Jackson was on President Obama's list to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, and given Biden's promise to nominate a black woman, is widely seen as a likely candidate to fill a potential vacancy.

There wasn't time for a discussion of her record, such that time she issued an injunction so ludicrous against the Trump Administration's deportation process, even liberals on the DC Circuit reversed her ruling. Or when a diverse DC Circuit ruled that she did not have jurisdiction to nullify key parts of a Trump executive order that would have made it easier to fire low-performing federal employees. Jackson was celebrated by liberal outlets for a "brutal takedown" when she insisted White House lawyer Don McGahn had to testify in the first Trump impeachment inquiry, because "presidents are not kings."

This segment was sponsored by Crest.