In a hanging instance of judicial activism, newly unearthed footage from 2021 exposes U.S. District Decide John McConnell for what he actually is—an Obama-appointed activist masquerading as a choose.
Decide McConnell, who lately blocked President Trump’s initiative to freeze federal spending and audaciously accused Trump of defying his court order, is uncovered in a resurfaced video as he lambasts the Trump administration and pushes for identity-based sentencing and the creation of a race-obsessed committee inside his court docket in his try and inject his progressive ideology into the authorized system.
The interview was performed in January 2021 and has been printed on Helen Cooke’s YouTube channel.
Within the footage, uncovered by Natalie Winters, co-host of Steve Bannon’s Conflict Room, McConnell asserts that “racism is a white individuals drawback” and advocates for particular sentencing concerns primarily based on gender identification and race.
McConnell: If you’re sentencing somebody, you need to take a second and understand that this middle-class, white, male, privileged particular person wants to grasp the human being that comes earlier than us. Which may be a lady, could also be Black, could also be transgender, could also be poor, could also be wealthy, could also be no matter—could have experiences that aren’t yours. And you need to stroll of their footwear and perceive that the legislation applies to them the place they’re. After which you need to apply the legislation accordingly.”
WATCH:
Decide John McConnell Jr. says as a “center class, white male privileged particular person” he must “perceive” criminals who’re “girls, black, or transgender” and that the “legislation applies to them the place they’re.” pic.twitter.com/ZT9LTI7l5y
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) February 12, 2025
The corrupt choose additionally in contrast Trump’s first time period to the period of the Civil Conflict and Jim Crow legal guidelines, labeling Trump a “tyrant” who threatened American democracy.
McConnell: “So, why must you care? You must care as a result of we’re the one issues that stand in between an oppressive, arbitrary authorities and actions by people, or by the bulk.
Oftentimes, I imply, once we noticed the Jim Crow legal guidelines and whatnot, the place courts stand and implement the rule of legislation in opposition to arbitrary and capricious actions by what may very well be a tyrant, or what we’ve seen loads of examples of that lately. And it enforces our values.
Our values, in a authorized sense, are the Structure. It’s for that purpose, and we noticed there are many examples of historical past, and there’s loads of examples during the last 4 years the place it’s the courts that stored that balloon from bursting when it was challenged.
So, that’s why you must care in regards to the courts, as a result of, you recognize, it impacts so many features of individuals’s lives that they don’t even learn about, don’t even know.
And it impacts society in such a giant method. I imply, once we discuss legal justice, we’ll discuss what impact it has on individuals of colour in races and communities and whatnot. However, to me, that’s why the court docket stands so essential.
They’re a really completely different, equal department of presidency that protects the values of this nation in opposition to arbitrary majority guidelines to guard these values for everyone. Completely, and we do plenty of mundane, silly, common stuff too, apart from these lofty targets of sustaining values.”
WATCH:
Decide McConnell equates President Trump’s first 4 years to the injury inflicted by the Civil Conflict and Jim Crow legal guidelines.
He additionally compares President Trump a “tyrant.” pic.twitter.com/I0REreofkR
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) February 12, 2025
McConnell additionally criticized Trump’s judicial appointments for missing variety, whereas praising Obama’s efforts and expressing hope that Biden would prioritize racial variety.
McConnell: “President Obama had an awesome observe document of making certain racial variety amongst the bench. President Trump, not a lot. I don’t suppose he appointed a single particular person of colour as a Courtroom of Appeals choose and only a few individuals to the district court docket.
So, I’m hoping that President Biden will prioritize racial variety on the bench as nicely as a result of should you don’t have variety of thought, then the courts aren’t going to work proper. Proper? As a result of if we’re there to guard the minority whereas upholding the values of the Structure, then it’s going to be—you recognize—center class white male rule continues.”
McConnell’s declare about Trump not appointing any individuals of colour to the Courtroom of Appeals is blatantly false.
Throughout his first time period (2017–2021), President Donald Trump appointed a number of judges of colour to the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Notable appointments embody:
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James C. Ho: Appointed to the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 2018, Decide Ho is of Taiwanese descent and was the primary Asian American to serve on the Fifth Circuit.
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Michael H. Park: Appointed to the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2019, Decide Park is Korean American.
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Neomi Rao: Appointed to the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2019, Decide Rao is of Indian descent.
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Barbara Lagoa: Appointed to the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 2019, Decide Lagoa is Cuban American.
President Donald Trump appointed a complete of 234 Article III federal judges, together with three Supreme Courtroom justices, 54 appellate court docket judges, and 174 district court docket judges. Of those appointees, roughly 16% (37) have been people of colour, based on Pew Research.
McConnell introduced that he fashioned a Range, Inclusion, and Racial Justice Committee inside his court docket, arguing that “racism is a white individuals drawback” and that white people should tackle and rectify it. He highlighted the shortage of variety in his court docket upon his appointment.
McConnell: “We haven’t publicly introduced this but—we solely have internally—however we have now put collectively a Range and Inclusion and Racial Justice Committee that has three targets. One is to look internally. I don’t suppose we are able to clear up this drawback till, um, we take a look at ourselves.
However the committee has acknowledged its mission in understanding that, in some ways, racism is a white individuals’s drawback, and white individuals want to determine clear up it and must do the laborious work to repair it. So, we have now fashioned the committee to take a look at race in our courts.
Have we given disparate sentences between black and whites? What about hiring practices—is it proper? What’s the therapy course of like? Have we been a welcoming, inclusive group?
The second is to look internally, really on that challenge, which is, what we’re like as an employer. We’re an employer that gives a office, and we need to be simply an inclusive place.
Third is the engagement locally. We’re beginning to determine how we are able to exit into the group and have interaction extra with the message of the rule of legislation and justice, significantly in underserved communities.
WATCH:
Decide McConnell additionally established a Range, Inclusion, and Racial Justice Committee in his court docket.
He insists that “racism is a white individuals drawback” and that white individuals must “determine it out” and do the “laborious work” to repair it. pic.twitter.com/swXyIXAm4v
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) February 12, 2025
Decide McConnell additionally addressed the shortage of variety inside his personal court docket upon his arrival and took rapid steps to rectify the scenario.
He revealed important efforts to diversify the court docket’s employees, together with the hiring of probation officers from minority backgrounds.
He highlighted the psychological impression on African-American defendants strolling right into a predominantly white court docket, calling his personal court docket “majestic” however unrepresentative.
McConnell: “Federal court docket in Rhode Island is a tragic instance of an absence of racial variety. We have now 5 judicial officers: three judges and two Justice of the Peace judges, all white. We have now, lastly, two girls. We didn’t have that for the longest time—judges, one choose and one Justice of the Peace choose. Nearly all of our court docket employees is white.
It’s an awesome place to work, so individuals don’t go away, in order that’s been very laborious to impression. I’ve not, you recognize, not—we’ve not had a brand new rent, I feel, in a few years there as a result of individuals stick round. And so, we’re a tragic instance of it, which is why we have to put in place…
Then again, our probation division, which works straight with individuals as soon as they get out of the legal justice system.
After I acquired there, it was all white. And once we employed a brand new probation officer, we stated, ‘This will’t be. This simply can’t be any longer.’ And we instantly acquired 4 openings, simply occurred to be, and we crammed them with individuals of colour. And we’ve now modified the probation division.
Simply give it some thought for a second, in that empathetic kind of method. You’re an African-American younger man who’s predominantly a legal defendant, and also you get walked right into a court docket, and our court docket is majestic. I imply, it’s.”
[…]
“I’ve by no means been personally subjected to racism. I imply, racism performs such an enormous function within the legal justice system, from who will get stopped to who will get arrested, who will get prosecuted, and the way they get prosecuted, and the way they spend time in jail and the whole lot alongside that horrible street.
I’ve by no means skilled that, and that makes it laborious—or it makes it simple to disregard, proper? Nevertheless it makes it laborious to not when there’s no variety, once you don’t have colleagues you can communicate to, or once you’re not numerous your self.
And make no mistake about it, race is current each single day within the courtroom, uh, predominantly in legal circumstances, but it surely’s current in a goodly variety of the civil circumstances that we do as nicely. So, um, you recognize, variety is essential all over the place. It’s vitally essential.”
WATCH:
Decide McConnell then lamented that his Courtroom was a foul instance as a result of it was “too white.”
He admits to solely hiring black individuals solely as a result of they have been “individuals of colour.” pic.twitter.com/xlREBhmIZJ
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) February 12, 2025
The choose additionally made controversial remarks in regards to the affect of private opinions in judicial choices.
McConnell: “We fall again on a sort of stereotypical remark that judges should not have any opinions, and that’s simply not true. If that have been the case, we’d have computer systems run our justice system.
We’d enter this, and we didn’t put that, and we’d spin the wheel, and that may come the right choice. However that’s not how justice works, nor ought to it work like that. I, significantly these people who know me, know I’ve opinions.
I’ve opinions about plenty of issues; some are related, some aren’t related. However what makes the system work is that this constancy to the rule of legislation.
It feels like a cliché, but it surely’s so essential, and that’s that you simply respect the truth that legal guidelines are handed based on the democratic system.
You respect the truth that the structure comprises values and protects our freedoms and protects the minority in opposition to the oppression of the bulk.”
WATCH:
Decide McConnell insists that it’s okay for judges to let private opinions affect their choices.
“I’ve opinions about plenty of issues…”
(He was on the Finance Committee for a Hillary Clinton Marketing campaign, 6-figure dem donor, and Deliberate Parenthood Board member.) pic.twitter.com/DvvgUD0nf4
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) February 12, 2025
John McConnell is just not a choose however an activist masquerading in judicial robes; his overt political biases and actions clearly display that he must be impeached to protect the integrity of our courts.
You’ll be able to watch the complete video under:
