Scalia, who has served as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice since the Reagan Administration, has received high praise for his staunch conservatism. On Wednesday (Dec. 9th), Scalia questioned the affirmative action policies of the University of Texas during a hearing. Here’s what he had to say, according to the excerpt of the hearing’s transcript provided by CNN: 

There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a less — a slower-track school where they do well,” Scalia said, according to the transcript. “One of the briefs pointed out that most of the black scientists in this country don’t come from schools like the University of Texas.

Apparently, Scalia wasn’t finished making disparaging remarks toward Black students as he had this to say as well:

They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they’re being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them,” Scalia said. “I’m just not impressed by the fact that the University of Texas may have fewer. Maybe it ought to have fewer. And maybe some — you know, when you take more, the number of blacks, really competent blacks, admitted to lesser schools, turns out to be less.

Of course, the statements made by Scalia were too late to take back, but that wouldn’t stop other members of the dominant society to attempt to participate in damage control anyway. It is deeply disturbing to hear a Supreme Court justice endorse racist ideas from the bench of the nation’s highest court,” says Nevada’s Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. “The only difference between the ideas endorsed by Donald Trump and Scalia is that Scalia has a robe and a lifetime appointment.

While Reid’s statement holds weight, it must be noted that many whites–much like Harry Reid and whites who have openly taken a stance against the views of Antonin Scalia–feel a sense of discomfort when another member of their racial group makes blatantly racist remarks. This gives off the implication that they actually justify the ideologies of people like Scalia in private, so long as they don’t get off code in public.

Check out the video below for the rundown on this story.

B. Clark