Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Tucker Carlson suddenly has questions about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s credentials – I have questions about his

Tucker Carlson suddenly has questions about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s credentials – I have questions about his

Joe Biden has nominated the first Black female justice on the supreme court, Carlson is questioning her LSAT scores
What does it mean to live in a democracy? Well, according to the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, it means having the right to harangue Black women and force them to show their papers.

On Wednesday Carlson went on a tirade about the District of Columbia circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who Joe Biden has nominated to replace supreme courtJustice Stephen Breyer. Jackson’s confirmation, if it happens, would fulfil Biden’s campaign promise to nominate a Black female justice.

“So is Ketanji Brown Jackson – a name that even Joe Biden has trouble pronouncing – one of the top legal minds in the entire country?” Carlson asked. “[I]t might be time for Joe Biden to let us know what Ketanji Brown Jackson’s LSAT score was. How did she do on the LSATs? … It would seem like Americans in a democracy have a right to know.”

Before we get on to Jackson’s qualifications, perhaps we ought to have a word about Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson’s own credentials. If he thinks Ketanji Brown Jackson’s name is difficult to pronounce, perhaps he shouldn’t be a television presenter. Of course, Carlson has no problem saying Jackson’s name. He’s just being racist: which seems to be the only qualification one needs to get a gig on Fox News.

The LSATs are a multiple-choice exam that you have to take to get into most law schools in the US. Carlson must have only realized that it was written in the constitution that all Americans have a right to view a judge’s LSAT exams recently because there’s no record of him asking for the LSAT scores of recent supreme court nominees, such as Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, to be released. I wonder why he’s so worked up about them this time?

While Jackson’s LSATs may not be public knowledge (her kindergarten report cards have also not been released to the American people), her qualifications are impeccable. She went to Harvard Law School; served as a supervising editor for the Harvard Law Review; clerked for three judges including Justice Breyer; spent 15 years as a public defender; eight years as a trial court judge in the US district court in DC; was vice-chair of the US Sentencing Commission; and has issued a number of notable rulings. But none of that’s good enough for Carlson. He will not rest until we see her LSATs, a flawed measure of student potential that helps candidates get into law school, but has zero to say about their ability after they graduate. Even if it turned out Jackson’s score was stellar, no doubt Tucker would want to her see her birth certificate as well. And maybe pull out the calipers and take some head measurements while he’s at it.

It doesn’t matter how hard you work or how many accomplishments you rack up, if you’re a minority there is always someone like Carlson ready to tell you that the only reason you’ve got to where you are is because of things like affirmative action or political correctness. I’ve certainly had my own Carlson moment. My first job out of university was a trainee solicitor at a corporate law firm. A white guy at my law school had a minor meltdown when he found out I’d got into the same firm he had been rejected by. “Probably a diversity hire!” he told me in a “jokey” tone of voice.

It is true, of course, that a significant number of unqualified people get into prestigious universities and top jobs thanks to affirmative action. But you know who benefits from affirmative action the most? Rich white people. Take Harvard, for example. A 2019 analysis of the Ivy League’s school admissions data found that only around 57% of white students were admitted to Harvard on merit. A whopping 43% of them were there because they were “ALDCs”: athletes, legacy students (their parents went to the school), on the dean’s list (their parents donated to the school) or the children of Harvard employees. By contrast, less than 16% of African American, Hispanic and Asian American admits were ALDCs.

Once you’re out of university there’s still plenty of affirmative action for well-connected white people. One analysis found that an American male is 8,500 times more likely to become a senator if their dad is a senator. The same study found American men are 1,895 times more likely to become a famous chief executive, 1,639 times more likely to win a Pulitzer, and 1,361 times more likely to win an Academy award if daddy did the same thing first.

If Carlson really is so keen on ensuring that the US is a meritocracy, then I suggest he worry less about making Jackson’s LSAT scores public and focus on rather different data instead. How exactly did Jared Kushner get into Harvard, for example? Did it have anything to do with the $2.5m his dad pledged to the school? How did Donald Trump get into the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance? Is it true his dad pulled a few strings? Americans in a democracy have a right to know.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×