Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho, appointed by Donald Trump and considered a potential future U.S. Supreme Court justice, expressed his belief that many academics who criticize the Supreme Court dismiss the views of a significant portion of the American public as “garbage.”
“In the six years that I’ve been a judge, I’ve come to understand that many academics who comment on the Supreme Court regard the views of half the country as garbage,” Ho stated during a virtual panel on academic freedom hosted by the Federalist Society on Friday.
Ho’s remarks drew parallels to President Joe Biden’s controversial comments made during the final days of the 2024 presidential campaign. Biden referred to Trump supporters as “garbage” after a comedian at a Trump rally made a disparaging remark about Puerto Rico. Biden later clarified that he did not mean to use that language, and Vice President Kamala Harris distanced herself from his comments. Following the incident, Trump staged a photo opportunity with a garbage truck.
The U.S. Supreme Court underwent significant changes during Trump’s first term, with three appointments reshaping the bench. Recent rulings, including the 2022 decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade, have sparked considerable public backlash.
Ho is viewed as a strong candidate for a future Supreme Court vacancy, should one arise during Trump’s next term. A former Texas solicitor general, Ho was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and was included on a shortlist of potential Supreme Court nominees released by Trump during his first term.
Previously, Ho has taken a stand on academic issues, stating that he would no longer hire law clerks from Stanford Law, Yale Law, and Columbia University due to those schools’ handling of student protests.
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