Chris Matthews Doubts Current Supreme Court Would Have Upheld Civil Rights Act, Desegregation
- Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:32pm by
Jason Howerton
- Print »
- Email »
In his own very special version of a history lesson, MSNBC Host Chris Matthews on Monday questioned whether the current U.S. Supreme Court, which he called the most “conservative court since the 1930s,” would have overturned segregation laws in the 1950s or upheld landmark civil rights legislation in the 1960s.
The irony meter shot through the roof when Matthews was hinting that the “conservative” Supreme Court was somehow racist while a shot of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas showed on the screen. He claimed the two men “personified” the court. Thomas is black.
Maybe someone should tell Matthews because by his estimation, Thomas would have joined other justices and voted to keep himself and his family segregated and would have not upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed various forms of discrimination against African-Americans.
Watch Matthews’ “Let Me Finish” segment, below.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Matthews also argued the current SCOTUS would not have ruled in favor of banning organized prayers in school in the 1960s and would have outlawed abortion in the 1970s.
On what basis did he make such bold accusations? Matthews says because the conservative members of the Supreme Court believe in the “original intent” of the Founding Fathers, they are automatically flawed in their judgment because the “Founding Fathers – need I remind us all – wrote slavery into the Constitution. It took a Civil War and the 13th Amendment to get it out,” he added.
Here’s all of what the MSNBC host had to say:
Does anyone wonder like I do what this Supreme Court – the one personified by Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas — would have done with the landmark decisions in the post-World War II era,” Matthews said. “I wonder if this court would have backed desegregation in the Brown case. I doubt this pack of conservatives, which includes Chief Justice John Roberts, Sam Alito and Anthony Kennedy, would have voted to knock down ‘separate but equal’ in the 1950s.
I doubt this group would have removed organized prayer from public schools back in the 1960s – that decision that ignited the moral majority.
I doubt that this court would have recognized a woman’s right to decide on an abortion in the 1970s.
Let me proffer a tougher judgment: would this court – voting as it does today – have upheld the 1964 Civil Rights Bill, which declared it illegal to refuse access to someone because of race to a restaurant, hotel or a gas station restroom?
Would Scalia, Thomas, Kennedy and Alito have approved such a decision, or would they have joined the dissent? Well, maybe Kennedy would have.
The fact is that we have the most conservative court since the early 1930s, and maybe more conservative than that. These justices, led by Scalia, believe in original intent. They want to judge cases the way the Founding Fathers would. Well, the Founding Fathers – need I remind us all – wrote slavery into the Constitution. It took a Civil War and the 13th Amendment to get it out.
It‘s possible that Matthews was perturbed or frustrated after SCOTUS upheld the most controversial portion of Arizona’s immigration law, the so-called “show me your papers” provision. Still, the premise of speculating what a group of justices would or would not have done in decades past seems a little extreme.
And even though Matthews regularly accuses conservatives of being racist, it is even less convincing when he apparently accuses a black Supreme Court Justice of harboring racist ideology.
This story has updated with additional information.
Popular Stories
Does Misstated Marathon Claim Prove Paul Ryan Is Dishonest? (POLL) 670 Comments
‘Jumah at the DNC’ Speaker: ‘Muslims Visited America Prior to Columbus’ & ‘It Was a Muslim’ Who Guided Him to the ‘New World’ 527 Comments
Paper Details Obama Admin’s Alleged Secret Note Sent to Iran: If Israel Attacks, We Won’t Get Involved 390 Comments
Obama: RNC Like Watching ‘Black-and-White TV’ Because Romney ‘Did Not Offer a Single New Idea’ 366 Comments
Roseanne Barr: Most Billionaires ‘Violent Pedophiles’ & ‘Heartless’ Cocaine Addicts 327 Comments
Faith
This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 261 Comments- Pakistani Muslim Cleric Accused of Framing Disabled Christian Girl in Koran-Burning Case Read More
- ‘Made Up Religion’: TV Historian Enrages Muslims, Receives Threats After Producing UK Documentary Questioning Islam’s Beginnings 269 Comments
Meet the Controversial German Imam Accused of Brutally Beating His Wife & Pushing Sharia Law Read More
‘Self-Proclaimed Messiah’ & Unification Church Leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon Has Died — Here’s His Life Story Read More
Business
President Obama Issues Major ‘Green Energy’ Executive Order 127 Comments- Germany’s Upcoming Court Ruling Will be Huge for the EU Read More
Ford Looks to Beat Toyota for Best-Selling Car in 2012 With This Model 147 Comments
Bernanke & QE3: Here’s What You Need to Know Read More- ‘Extortion’: Why Did the Labor Department ‘Drop the Hammer’ on Oregon Farmers? 300 Comments
Technology
- This Is the Creationists‘ Response to Scientist Bill Nye’s Viral Pro-Evolution Video Claiming They Harm Children 261 Comments
‘TaserDrone’: Hackers Weaponize Quadcopter With Actual ‘Shocking’ Technology Read More
Ever Heard of the Wild ‘Burning Man’ Festival in the Middle of the Nev. Desert? Here’s Your Primer Read More
Stanford Develops Technology ‘Better Than Steroids’ for Athlete Recovery Read More
Have You Pretended to Know What ‘the Cloud’ Is? You’re Not Alone Read More
Submitting your tip... please wait!
Comments (142)
Mess23
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:24pmI thought the KKK was a Democrap sponsored affiliation? And to have the Pres speak at Sen. Bird’s funeral was priceless. He is probably still rolling. ROTFLMAO
Report Post »sooner12
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:36pmIf there is any doubt among the readers, Chris Matthews is a certifiable idiot.
Report Post »techengineer11
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:51pmSo if desegregation had not been implemented would that had meant that 10s of thousands of whites would be alive today which have been murdered by blacks??
So was desegregation really the right decision? Was it worth it? Should all of my people be getting slaughtered today just so that we can say that we’re not prejudiced or racist? lol
This is sick!
It’s not even discussed today but the last generation warned us.. They tried but if one even talks about it today he’s shouted down and ridiculed by all of these brain dead Zombies going around parroting the propaganda of the Jewish mainstream Media..
No personally Chris I don’t think it was worth it.. I’m actually getting a litte tired to seeing all of the elderly whites raped and murdered by your black man… Getting very tiring.
Again recent stats show that blacks making up less than 15% of the population commit up to 58% of violent crime… Probably even worse today!
No it was’t worth it Chris.. Absolutely not. Soceity rots today as a result of it.
Report Post »MCDAVE
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:57pmHe is calling the justices racists for upholding the constitution…another leftest liar ..
Report Post »Prosecute_Constitutional_Treason_In_Washington
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 10:22pmChris Matthews is a tool. A tool of satan. This is why you find it hard to understand his reasoning until you realize who his father is. His father is the father of lies, the great deceiver, the great murderer.
Report Post »reality based lifeform
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 11:36pmThat tingle he had running up his leg the last presidential election has migrated up into his brain renderring him incapable of making rational judgement .
Get some help with that “Tinglebell ”
Report Post »Maji
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:13amI doubt Matthews would have reported “The British are coming”!
Report Post »He would have said the “Crowns freedom fighters” have finely arrived!!
ManThong
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:17amSomebody over there at MSNBC — PLEASE put this senile old loon out to pasture.
Report Post »marine249
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:38amchris matthews? one word. ASS!!!!!!!
Report Post »chalkdust
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 2:06am“Well, the Founding Fathers – need I remind us all – wrote slavery into the Constitution”.
Report Post »They did? I am not aware of the slavery clause. What the h*ll is this idiot talking about? Is he boozing it up before goes on air? Need I remind only Chris because most folks with half a brain would not utter such non-sense, that were it not for the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence, the framework to end slavery would have been…non-existent. The framers talked of ending slavery but most felt southerners and some northern colonialists would balk and jeopardize the still weakened birth of a nation. They did build into the Constitution the framework whereby slavery would be ended. Ask yourself, Chris, how or when slavery would have ended without the Bill of Rights. How would slavery have ended if there were not one nation but two or more splintered countries in which slavery was abolished in one but not the rest? It’s clear that the absence of the Constitution would have meant the institution of slavery would have continued much longer. So, NO Chris, the founders did not write slavery into the Constitution. This is not to suggest that the framers did everything they could to end slavery at the time. Maybe they could have done more without destroying the country before it had a chance to thrive. But they most certainly did not “write slavery into the Constitution”.
Thomas
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 6:43amThe civil rights movement was no more than a progressive attack on the individual rights protected by the Constitution. Why do you need special laws for groups? The civil rights movement gives the government the right to deny individuals their rights for the sake of a group that may or may not have been done wrong in the past. Civil rights didn’t fix any problem but only gave certain groups special rights and justified and instigated their bigotry by putting forward lies about things that if they have happened it was very few cases rather than the norm. We must revoke the civil rights laws and make us all equal under the constitution and the law period or lets just give it up all together and look after our selves.
Report Post »000degrees
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 7:08amchris mathews….you are a moron, you really are.
Report Post »mensa141
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 7:45amChris and suicide bombers are a lot alike: they both are very short on brains and someone is using them to go off somewhere. The situation begs a larger question: exactly whom is funding Chris Mathews? Find that person then you find the bomb making pervert.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 7:52amI guess Chris Mathews never made it to the 13th amendment of the Constitution….I also guess he never comprehended the first 12 maenmments either….No where in the Constitution did it ever say slavery was federally legal all the articles Chris refering were actually indentures servent laws and tax laws. Lots of people came to America and used their servitude for a numbers of years as payment. The constitution required they hold upo theior end of the agreement.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:56amJustice Thomas would uphold slavery? Matthews is a true moron. Besides, slavery, in any form, as a Democrat thing.
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:03amThe Court in 1954 should have affirmed the “separate but equal” principle. They should have insisted, however, that “equal means equal” and that for every penny southern states spent on white schooling, they shoud have spent a penny on black schooling. Problem solved.
Report Post »SocialistSlayer
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:51amChris Mathews – In case no one has told you yet – you are an idiot!
Report Post »AnimalsAsLeaders
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:54amTECHENGINEER
…the ramblings of a senile old bigot.
Report Post »techengineer11
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 2:05pmAnimalsAsLeaders
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:54am
TECHENGINEER
…the ramblings of a senile old bigot.
I’ll take the bait… I bet you get all huffy and puffy at the thought of radical muslims killing 3k Americans don’t you?
Yet 10s if not 100s of thousands of whites have been slaughtered in the streets by blacky and 100s of thousands raped.
You may think the price to be paid is worth it.. You may applaud their slaughter.
I simply do not.
I wonder if you’d be as tolerant if FOX News told you it was Muslims murdering and raping American women? Or what if FOX told you that the victims were Jewish?
I believe the real bigot is the one that hates White people so much that he’s willing to tolerate the murder and rape of 100s of thousands of their people since the Civil Rights Acts passage??
Report Post »smokeysmoke
Posted on June 27, 2012 at 8:40amis chris saying that the civil rights vote would have been blocked by democrats like al gores father, even before it got to the courts… its so hard to understand you chris
Report Post »Minarchian
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:22pmEvery time I see some sick thing Matthews says he says something sicker
Report Post »Inlightofthings
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:21pmThe dolt proves one thing though….ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
Scalia is a brilliant man…I’m seriously wondering about Roberts. Scalia references the founders and sovereignty…Roberts massages a bit too much. Speaking purely from the perspective of their arguments.
Report Post »cmgnp
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:14pmwhat would you expect an anal vent to spew … ice cream … what he spewed was exactly what he’s full of …. and nothing more
Report Post »Tri-ox
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:14pmI get all tingly whenever Sweet Chrissy says something stupid.
Report Post »pissantno.10
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:13pmdont be so hard on chris his own mother said chris honey you have the smallest winky in the world. you better learn to kiss but
Report Post »Simple-James
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:09pmWhat an idiot. Since when is the SCOTUS responsible for passing legislation?
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:04pmI want Matthews to be my sex slave. Hee, hee hee.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:01pmDoes any one doubt that Chris Mathews would also say “The Supreme Court Justices would own slaves if the could”, if he thought he could get away with it?
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:01pmI love how he wraps civil rights prayer and abortion all into one. Yes abortion good praying bad. Oh the morals of a liberal.
Report Post »JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:58pmAnd you expected him to say what ? As most Liberal Progressives like Comrad Methews do, if you can’t find truthful facts to back your statements, just make them up.
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:56pmDidn’t the Civil Rights Act get more republican votes then democrat votes anyway?
Report Post »CatB
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:05pmIt never would have been passed if not FOR the Republicans .. the Democrats were / are the party of the KKK (Robert Byrd)
Report Post »PCsince1776
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:11pmCheck out this article The Democrat Race Lie
http://www.black-and-right.com/the-democrat-race-lie/
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:26pmDumb & Dumber… want votes… and we cannot tell the Dumb Progressives from the Dumber Progressives. It has been… just two Parties, each of who want to Control The People, for their own benefit (alike Unions v Executives). But, these Two Poles are Artificial; The Real Poles are: Socialists v Constitutionalists.
Report Post »Inlightofthings
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:55pmI see zero value in watching this clown…other than to aggravate ones’ self. He contributes little to the over all dialog.
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:59pmagreed him and that bill clown on hbo theblaze is always posting. its just watch and be annoyed
Report Post »woodyb
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:01pmPoor Chrissie needs a history (or civics) lesson himself — the Supreme Court DOES NOT PASS LEGISLATION civil rights or any other kind!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »csbaby
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:54pmChris Matthews comes across as antagonostic and egotistic. He makes up comments just to stir up controversary and garner attention to feed his ego. He spouts assumptions and suppositions – not facts. He knows not what he speaks. Chris Matthews speaks when he really should put his foot in his mouth. That would make him worth watching – once.
Report Post »Walkabout
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:04pmcsbaby
You know that Chris Mathews thinks that he is smarter than you or ME. He worked in the Carter administration as a speech writer so that makes him elite. Just saying!
Report Post »steveh931
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:52pmChris Matthews doesn’t have a clue when it comes to the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Article 6 of the Northwest Ordinance or any of the Founding Fathers writings and their struggle with slavery that was introduced by the King of England. If you study the writings of the time it is self evident just how stupid people like Chris Matthews actually are. Chris is nothing more than a modern day Progressive with selective learning capabilities of modern history.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:51pmHey Chris,
The SOTUS doesn’t “pass legislation” that’s the job of Congress. And if your buddy Woodrow Wilson didn’t do what he did around 1913 no Civil Rights Act or de-segragation would have been needed.
As usual, progressive socialists put the black man down and then blame others. How’s Detroit working out for you Chris? Got that “thrill up your leg again”?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:56pmHey MONK, I was just laughing about that as I read the headline then entered the story. Miss Chrissy is swimming in the shallow end of the gene pool again. Somebody call a lifeguard.
Report Post »Inlightofthings
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:23pmI‘m thinkin’ he did a sailor dive in the shallow end. That might ‘splain it.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:57pmHi RJJ,
I’ve been a certified Lifeguard since the age of 11 and started my first business called, “4 to 40” that summer teaching anyone ages 4 to 40 how to swim. In 2 weeks I can teach anyone to swim. (For the idiots here I’m not talking about Quads)
I was even a Lifeguard at the Pentagon in the “Officers Athletic Center” in the bomb shelter in the “basement” for over a year back in the 70′s.
I don’t know what I would do now if Chris M was drowning. I’ve saved many people from drowning in the past. Chris and his progressive comrades? I just don’t know today. : (
Report Post »TelepromoterNChief
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:50pmShut the **** up Chris Matthews!
Report Post »You limp-wristed, pasted-faced, saggy old man.
You are a nobody.
MeteoricLimbo
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:48pmChrissy-poo needs a ball softener evidently
Report Post »angryamerican33
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:46pmwhat a jerk this guy is,The Founding Fathers were against slavery and wrote against it.They lived under british law which allowed slavery.
Report Post »this guy should research at wallbuilders.com for the truth..
RJJinGadsden
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:58pmLittle Miss Chrissy should bother to crack open any real history book.
Report Post »Uranium Wedge
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:46pmI wonder if Chris has a brain
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:44pmWhen a Minority… has special Privileges & Benefits… paid by General Tax Collection… then the Majority NO LONGER RULES!
Report Post »sprouter.q
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:20pmThe majority does not rule in this country….representative government… not democracy….you need a history leson luke warm!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 10:09pm@SPQR…
Each Majority elects their Representative… thereby the Collective in my Comment is the Majority and the Representivies repreresent them… just as the Minority in Civil Rights was Collective of an Ethnic Group… and Tax Payers are a Collective of all Actually Paying for the Special Treatment!
Stop assuming that you are communicating with Inferiors!
Report Post »rayferd13
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:43pmWhere is slavery written into the Constitution?
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:01pmIt only shows up on his copy Ray
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:08pmRemember, the first man to OWN a black man as a slave in America was Anthony Johnson originally an indentured servant in the Colony of Virginia around 1619-1620. He managed to purchase the freedom for both he and his wife. In 1654 he convinced a court that one John Casor, a black indentured servant to Johnson owed him a lifetime of labor. This made Johnson, a black man the first to own a black slave in this country.
Report Post »steveh931
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 9:19pmDuring the time the Founding Fathers were struggling to write the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution slavery already existed and was introduced to the colonists by the authority of the King. Some of the Founding Fathers were slave holders but struggled with human nature on a daily basis and considered holding slaves a contempt of their own souls, as evidenced in their writing of the Declaration of Independence when they state, “All Men are Created Equal”. Eleven years later when they were writing the U.S. Constitution they included, Section.9.
The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.
This was done by the Founding Fathers so the U.S. Constitution would be ratified. Look at the arguments of today that never seem to be resolved, and you will understand the arguments of their day and their ability of legislating laws upon those that were unwilling. In their minds slavery would eventually die out, then came Eli Whitney and his cotton gin creating a demand for even more slaves to process the abundance of cotton ultimately leading to the Civil War where over 600,000 Americans lost their lives.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 10:01pmHi RJJ,
I saw that on one of Glenn Beck’s programs. Thanks for the reminder of the names involved!!!!
Report Post »Lee_in_PA
Posted on June 26, 2012 at 7:33amI saw reference to removing it in the original version as written by Jefferson. Those references were removed from that version by committee.I believe the issue of slavery was tabled so as to unify all the colonies to fight the British. I think it was to be taken up later. Seems the best that could be done was to stop the importation of slaves after 1802. Jefferson warned that it was not the solution and that we would send our sons into battle. Wonder if Chris ever even SAW a history book? Probably not.
Report Post »Mutiny
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:42pmI doubt Chris Matthews has a functioning brain.
Report Post »OlefromMN
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:42pmChris appears to be unaware of the role of the Supreme Court. They do not “ban” , “remove”, “recognize” anything. They rule if a challenged law holds up to the standards of our Constitution. They have not always voted the way we like, but that is their charge and duty. There are ways to remove a justice through legal means if they are failing to fulfill their duties, perhaps that should be a homework assignment for Chris.
Report Post »FloridaFarmGirl
Posted on June 25, 2012 at 8:41pmChris Matthews, take all of these illegals into your home and support them and then give us a call. (After you are broke and they have stolen everything you have and probably raped any female family members you might have). Who watches his show anyway?
Report Post »