Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday said it was wrong for her to publicly comment on protests staged by athletes kneeling during the national anthem.
Ginsburg was asked in an interview published Monday what she thought of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to protest treatment of African Americans. She said the display by Kaepernick and other athletes was “dumb and disrespectful.”
“Barely aware of the incident or its purpose, my comments were inappropriately dismissive and harsh,” Ginsburg said in a statement Friday. “I should have declined to respond.”
Kaepernick’s protest has been criticized by people who say declining to stand during the national anthem is disrespectful.
“If they want to be stupid, there’s no law that should be preventive. If they want to be arrogant, there’s no law that prevents them from that,” Ginsburg said in the interview published Monday. “What I would do is strongly take issue with the point of view that they are expressing when they do that.”
This is the second time this year Ginsburg has had to apologize for comments made off the bench. In July, she called Donald Trump “a faker” who “really has an ego” and “no consistency about him.” After outcry, she said it had been “ill advised” for her to comment on the presidential election.
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