Ginsburg expresses ‘regret’ for remarks criticizing Trump
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sought Thursday to step back from the controversy over her disparaging remarks about Donald Trump, saying she should not have commented on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and that she regrets her statements.
In three separate interviews with news organizations since last week, Ginsburg criticized Trump, calling him a “faker” and saying she feared for the country and the Supreme Court if he were elected.
Those comments brought criticism and questions over ethics even from usual allies, who said Supreme Court justices should not insert themselves into the elections. The judicial ethics code that binds lower-court judges — but not Supreme Court justices — forbids judges from endorsing or speaking about candidates.
In a statement issued Thursday by the court’s public information office, Ginsburg seemed to agree with the criticism, although she did not offer an apology to Trump, who had demanded one.
“On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regret making them,” Ginsburg said. “Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect.”
Last week, Ginsburg publicly slammed Trump and what his possible presidency would mean for the court.
“I can’t imagine what this place would be — I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president,” Ginsburg told the New York Times. “For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be — I don’t even want to contemplate that.”
She made similar comments to the Associated Press. On Monday during a CNN interview, Ginsburg called Trump a “faker” and said she was surprised that the media has not pressed him more to release his tax returns.
Read the full story at WashingtonPost.com
FILE – In this Feb. 4, 2015 file photo, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington. Ginsburg’s public criticism of Donald Trump is dividing legal experts over whether the leader of the court’s liberal wing should recuse herself in any future case involving him. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)